IC-NRLF 


G.  ©urban  MI  a  mm. 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 


PRESENTED  BY 

PROF. CHARLES  A.  KOFOID  AND 
MRS.  PRUDENCE  W.  KOFOID 


SCOTTISH    MOORS 


AND 


INDIAN    JUNGLES 


SCOTTISH     MOORS 


AND 


INDIAN    JUNGLES 


SCENES  OF  SPORT  IN  THE  LEWS  AND    INDIA 


BY 

CAPTAIN   J.  T.   NEWALL 

LATE    INDIAN    STAFF    CORPS 
AUTHOR   OF 

EASTERN    HUNTERS,"    "HOG    HUNTING    IN    THE    EAST,"    ETC. 


LONDON: 
HURST   AND    BL  AC  KETT,   LI  MITED, 

13,  GREAT  MARLBOROUGH  STREET. 

1889. 
All    Rights    Reserved. 


CONTENTS. 


PART  I. 

SCOTTISH     MOORS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

PRELIMINARY  AND  EXPLANATORY    DESCRIPTION    OP 
THE  LEWS  AND  OUR  SHOOTING  THERE  .        .        .3 

My  Accident — Still  Devoted  to  Field-Sports — Means  of  Loco- 
motion— At  Scaliscro  in  the  Lews — *  Stomachs  turned  Inside  out ' — 
Among  the  Stags — Our  little  Lodge — A  pretty  Look-out — '  The 
Long  Island  '—The  Forest  of  Morsgail— Hill  of  Caldershall— Village 
of  Einacleit — Compensating  Results  for  the  Absence  of  Trees. 

CHAPTER  II. 

DEER-SHOOTING       .        .        .        .        .        .        .17 

Stalking  in  the  Caldershall  Hills — Three  Johns — Our  Keeper  John 
— Ian — John  Mackenzie — All  unmistakably  Celtic — Craggy  Knolls 
and  Small  Conies— A  fine  View — A  good  Stag— No  Time  to  be  Lost 
— «  The  Deer  are  There,  Captain  !'— 4  A  Ten-Pointer !'— I  took  Him 
as  he  Stood—'  She's  got  the  Bullet !'— A  snap  Shot— The  March  back 
— '  A  gude  Stag  !' 


VI  CONTENTS.  » 

CHAPTER  III. 

GROUSE-SHOOTING 38 

Our  little  Moor — Good  for  Woodcock — Eagles — An  Eagle's  nest 
Harried — Eagles1  Eggs — Eagles  hunting  Blue-hares — Peregrine  Fal- 
cons— Wild  Cats — Our  Milestone  Man — Tameness  of  Grouse  in  the 
West — A  Woodcock  in  October — Snipe — Pointers — Habits  of  Wood- 
cock—Strange Death  of  Woodcock — Shot  used— Scientific  Shooting. 

CHAPTER  IV. 

SOME  OF  OUR  FAILURES 59 

Rifles  and  Shot-guns — Our  first  Stalk— A  cautious  Chase — The 
Stag  takes  the  Hint — Escape  of  Wounded  Stag — Hinds  Right  and 
Left— Lying  Shots  difficult — Disappears  on  the  other  Side — Some  of 
our  Failures. 

CHAPTER  V. 
BETTER  LUCK 71 

A  -400  Express  rifle  by  Lang — Sufficiently  Powerful,  and  the 
Lightness  an  Advantage — Good  Luck  near  Mokhlut — An  open  Stalk 
— A  running  Shot  and  Kill — The  Caldershalls  again — Views — A 
long  Stalk  and  a  fine  Shot. 

CHAPTER  VI. 
LOCH  ROAG 89 

On  Loch  Roag — Lobster  Creels — Our  Boat — Good  Oysters  obtain- 
able— Excursions — The  Narrows — A  baby  Whale — Stories  of  Whale 
— Flounder-fishers — Sea-birds — Beautiful  Gulls — Neil  Mac  Ruari — 
Story  of  the  Mackenzies — Exposure  of  Women  on  a  Rock — Seals — 
Witches. 


CONTENTS.  Vll 

CHAPTER  VII. 

OTHER  EXCURSIONS 109 

The  Sandy  Bay  of  Reef— Collecting  Cattle  for  a  Swim  to  Winter 
Quarters — Pabhay — Obstreperous  Behaviour  of  a  Curlew — Fine  View 
of  Gallon  Head — Rabbit-shooting  in  Little  Bernera — Description  of 
the  Scenery — Island  Cemetery — Uig — Adders — Marine  Curiosities — 
Congers — Cuddies — Finlay's  Otter  Story. 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
FISHING  IN  THE  LEWS 129 

Loch  of  the  '  Bald-headed ' — Never  saw  a  Salmon — Sea-Trout — A 
good  Catch — Capture  of  a  Poacher — The  Blackwater  River — Salmon- 
fishing — Only  returned  Once  Empty-handed — Grimersta — Croistan 
— Sea-trout  Parr — A  Gale  in  the  Lews. 

CHAPTER  IX. 
A  RIVER  OF  DEVON 146 

The  Exe  as  a  Salmon-river — Wonderful  Capture  of  a  monster  Pike 
— Two  Hours  with  a  Salmon — My  Salmon-rod — A  short  Cast — Major 
Treherne's  Cast — Trout-fishing — A  nice  Basket — A  lucky  Recapture 
— Poetry  of  Fishing— Otters— Herons— Moorhens — Water- Ousels— 
King-fishers. 

CHAPTER  X. 
LAST  VISIT  TO  THE  MOOR 172 

John  Mackenzie  a  Botanist— A  cautious  Stalk,  but  no  Shot— A 
long  Trudge — That  « Peat  in  the  Atlantic  ' — The  Lewsmen — Only 
Vestiges  of  a  fine  Race — Characteristics  of  the  People  generally — 
The  Crofter  Question. 


Vlll  CONTENTS. 


PART  II. 

INDIAN    JUNGLES 


CHAPTER  I. 

SOME  REMARKS  ON  INDIAN  SPORT  .        .        .        .    189 

Jungle-life — Not  a  Record  of  Slaughter — Only  once  Shot  from  an 
Elephant — Mr.  Moray  Brown's  pleasant  Reminiscences — Hog-hunting 
— My  first  Pig — My  first  Bear — My  first  Tiger — Shooting  big  Game 
a  less  simple  Matter  in  Muzzle -loading  Days. , 

CHAPTER  II. 

HOG-HUNTING 198 

A  young  Indian  soldier's  first  Horse — The  Nuggur  Hunt — The 
Arkola  Grove — Sporting  Conversation — The  Meet — Beating  Grove 
for  Pig—'  The  Pig  difficult  to  Drive,  wery  '—The  Run— My  first 
Pig — The  Squire's  Danger — The  Day's  Bag. 

CHAPTER  HI. 
BEAR-SHOOTING 218 

My  two  Comrades — In  the  Jungle — Tracking  not  in  Vogue  here — 
Bears  capricious — The  first  Beat — The  Bear  charged  Straight  at  Us 
— He  makes  Off — We  Find  him  Again — We  Bag  our  first  Bear — 
Potela — Shooting  in  the  Deccan  Ghauts. 


CONTENTS.  IX 

CHAPTER  IV. 
TIGER-SHOOTING 243 

Ahinedabad — An  impressive  Scene — In  the  Jungle  again — A  bad 
Beat — A  Tiger  at  Last — Hit — Induced  to  Charge — Bagged  at  Last 
—What  Became  of  the  first  Tiger  ? 

CHAPTER  V. 

ONCE  MORE  AMONG  BIG  GAME        .        .        .        .262 

Arrival  at  Mount  Aboo — Offer  of  two  Appointments — I  Select  a 
Civilian  Post — I  Join  a  Flying  Column  as  Political  Officer — Go  in 
Search  of  my  Column,  and  come  into  a  Paradise  for  Big  Game — I 
find  Bears — Panthers — Tigers — Bears — A  Beat  in  Rajpootana. 

CHAPTER  VI. 

HOG-HUNTING 281 

Pig  not  Shot  in  India  unless  in  inaccessible  Jungles — Vigorous 
Onslaught  of  Boar — My  small  Escort — Captain  Forsyth's  *  Central 
Highland  of  India  ' — Real  Wood-craft — A  fine  Specimen  of  Tracking 
— A  worthy  Foeman — A  sorrowful  Group— A  very  large  Boar  at 
Last. 

CHAPTER  VII. 

HOG-HUNTING  IN  UPPER  SdNDE       .  .  .  .303 

The  Early  Bird— The  Village  of  Aliwan— Disagreeable  Places  to 
Ride  over— Early  Start — Before  Daylight— A  Rattling  Run— Ad- 
ventures— Upper  Scinde  not  Equal  to  other  Districts — Pig  good 
Swimmers — My  last  Pig. 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


To !  Ho !  SCALISCRO  ON  A  CALM  DAY    -  Frontispiece 
STALK  OF  THE  TEN-POINTER                                     To  face  page      31 

THE  FIRST  WOODCOCK  OF  THE  SEASON.   LOCH  ROAG  ,,        ,,      55 

A  RUNNING  SHOT                                         -        -  ,,        „      83 

COLLECTING  CATTLE  FOR  WINTER  QUARTERS          -  „        ,,111 

HOOKED  !    LOCH  CROISTAN                                    -  ,,        „    136 

A  HUNTING  CAMP.     (Frontispiece  to  Part  II.)        -  „        ,,189 

HOG-HUNTING — MY  FIRST  CHARGE.     THE  DECCAN  ,,        ,,    207 

BEAR-SHOOTING  IN  THE  GHAUTS. — TAKEN  UNAWARES  ,,        ,,    234 

OUR  FIRST  TIGER.    GUZERAT        -  ,,        ,,    253 

RAJPOOTANA— A  SCENE  WITH  THE  BEAR                 -  ,,        ,,    272 

A  SOLITARY  HUNT.    CUTCH          299 


PART  I. 


SCOTTISH     MOORS 


CHAPTER  I. 

PRELIMINARY  AND  EXPLANATORY  DESCRIPTION  OF 
THE  LEWS  AND  OUR  SHOOTING  THERE. 

MY  ACCIDENT — STILL  DEVOTED  TO  FIELD-SPORTS — MEANS  OF  LOCOMOTION 
— AT  SCALISCRO  IN  THE  LEWS — *  STOMACHS  TURNED  INSIDE  OUT ' — 
AMONG  THE  STAGS — OUR  LITTLE  LODGE— A  PRETTY  LOOK-OUT—'  THE 
LONG  ISLAND  '—THE  FOREST  OF  MORSGAIL— HILL  OF  CALDERSHALL 
— VILLAGE  OFEINACLEIT — COMPENSATING  RESULTS  FOR  THE  ABSENCE 
OF  TREES. 

MANY  years  ago,  in  India,  a  horse  I  was  riding 
reared,  fell  back,  with  me  underneath,  and  left 
me  with  a  fractured  spine.  I  eventually  recovered 
my  health  to  a  great  extent,  but  remained  quite 
paralysed  in  the  lower  limbs ;  and  from  that 
day  to  this  have  been  quite  unable  to  walk  or 
even  to  stand. 

Apart  from  all  considerations  attending  the 
abrupt  and  early  termination  of  a  career,  at 
that  time,  not  without  some  little  future  promise, 
this  terrible  accident  was  in  other  respects,  not 
unnaturally,  a  source  of  grievous  trouble  ;  for  I 
was  an  active  man,  and  devoted  to  field-sports. 

132 


4  MEANS  OF  LOCOMOTION. 

As  time  went  on,  and  I  became  more  habituated 
to  the  new  conditions  of  my  life,  and  the  depriva- 
tion with  which  the  All-Wise  had  seen  fit  to 
visit  me,  I  essayed  what,  at  first,  I  had  not 
ventured  to  think  possible. 

I  fished  a  little  from  a  well-cushioned  wheel- 
chair at  accessible  places  in  the  lake  country. 
Then  I  got  bolder,  and  tried  some  of  the  Suther- 
landshire  lakes,  and  actually  killed  a  salmon  in 
the  river  Shin,  all  either  from  chair  or  from  a 
stretcher,  on  which  I  reclined  in  a  boat. 

Waxing  bolder  still,  I  cast  about  for  some 
means  which  would  abolish  the  necessity  of  being 
lifted  about  in  a  man's  arms  when  moved  from 
one  position  to  another.  This  was  very  trying 
and  disagreeable,  especially  when  travelling,  or 
at  other  times,  in  public.  After  considerable 
cogitation  and  exchange  of  ideas  with  a  country 
carriage-maker  in  a  small  way,  I  devised  a  sort 
of  little  iron  frame-work  chair,  without  hind-legs, 
which  would  receive  my  cushions  and  myself, 
and  be  capable  of  being  placed  on  an  ordinary 
chair,  or  transferred,  with  me  still  sitting  in  it, 
to  carriage,  cab,  or  railway  carriage.  Having 
succeeded  so  far,  it  occurred  to  me  that,  by 


SHOOTING  UNDER  DIFFICULTIES.  O 

attaching  this  chair  to  poles,  and  placing  men 
between  those  poles,  I  might,  by  means  of  their 
legs,  in  some  measure  provide  substitutes  for 
my  own,  and  be  carried  to  places  unattainable 
by  chair.  The  possibility  of  riding  a  pony  had 
occurred  to  me,  and  I  had  a  chair-saddle  specially 
constructed ;  but  I  could  not  provide  the  neces- 
sary support,  not  having  the  power  to  sit  upright 
without  support,  and,  practically,  I  found  it  im- 
possible, and  was  obliged  to  discard  all  idea  of 
locomotion  in  that  direction. 

With  regard  to  the  poles,  however,  I  fully  suc- 
ceeded. With  one  man  in  the  shafts,  so  to  speak, 
in  front,  and  one  similarly  placed  behind,  with 
two,  one  on  each  side,  to  assist  the  latter,  he 
having  the  principal  weight,  I  can  manage  to 
ascend  high  hills,  and  get  carried  to  places  and 
over  ground  which  would  have  been  quite  in- 
accessible to  a  pony.  In  fine,  I  shoot  over  dogs, 
and  even  stalk  deer  with  success,  though  of  course 
it  is  shooting  under  difficulties. 

These  details  are  necessary,  in  order  to  let  the 
reader  understand  the  conditions  under  which 
sport  was  pursued  as  narrated  in  the  first  part 
of  this  little  book.  Indeed,  whatever  interest 


6  IN  LEWIS. 

attaches  to  such  is  mainly  derived  from  these. 
But,  apart  from  this,  it  would  indeed  be  to  me 
a  source  of  unqualified  gratification,  if  the  publi- 
cation of  these  details  should  prove  the  means 
of  encouraging  some  other  poor  stricken  fellow- 
sufferer  to  resort  to  some  similar  contrivance, 
by  means  of  which  he  might  once  more  enjoy, 
in  however  limited  a  fashion,  the  sports  of  the 
field,  or  even  be  brought  into  more  immediate 
contact  with  Nature  than  is  feasible  when  con- 
fined to  the  locomotive  capabilities  of  a  wheel- 
chair. 

Having  thus,  so  far,  triumphed  over  obstacles 
in  the  pursuit  of  sport,  in  the  year  1880,  in 
conjunction  with  my  eldest  brother,  General 
Newall,  R.A.,I  took  the  little  shooting  of  Sca- 
liscro,  in  Lewis ;  and  it  is  the  incidents  of 
sport  arid  out-door  life  there  during  the  seasons 
of  the  following  four  years  that  I  propose  to 
describe. 

The  most  northern  island  of  the  outer  Hebrides 
may  appear  a  somewhat  distant  locale  to  select 
by  a  man  in  my  position ;  but  one  has  to  go 
far  afield  now-a-days,  unless  endowed  with  such 
means  as  render  expense  no  object.  Moreover, 


WHAT  DETERMINED  OUR  CHOICE.  7 

I  had  shot  in  Lewis,  where  the  birds  lie  close 
throughout  the  season,  a  great  object  to  one 
situated  as  I  am ;  I  love  a  wild  country  also. 
Above  all,  on  the  Scaliscro  ground,  I  knew  that 
there  was  every  chance  of  getting  deer  without 
having  to  pay  forest  prices.  This  it  was,  princi- 
pally, which  determined  our  choice,  perhaps  I 
should  rather  say  mine. 

I  found  that  by  taking  a  deck-cabin  on  the 
Claymore,  or  one  of  Mr.  MacBrayne's  other 
steamers  from  Glasgow,  I  got  to  Stornoway  with 
far  less  change  and  worry  than  if  travelling  the 
same  distance  by  land.  With  our  own  servants 
on  board,  we  were  able  to  get  our  meals  brought 
to  our  airy  cabin.  There  existed,  therefore,  no 
necessity  to  descend  into  the  hot,  whisky  and 
food-stricken  atmosphere  of  the  regions  below. 
The  beauty,  too,  of  the  scenery,  as  the  steamer 
threads  its  way  among  the  various  islands,  repays 
one  for  many  inconveniences ;  for  some  of  the 
finest  scenery  in  Scotland  exists  among  those 
fiords,  with  which  the  wild  west  coast  arid  its 
islands  are  so  frequently  and  deeply  indented. 

Once  securely  packed  in  my  berth,  I  bid  defi- 
ance to  storms,  for  former  experience  in  various 


8  BLOWING  HARD. 

seas  had  rendered  me  tolerably  exempt  from  the 
mal-de-mer  which  so  detracts  from  the  enjoyment 
of  ship  life. 

On  the  whole,  we  made  several  of  these  little 
voyages  with  varying  experiences.  Only  once, 
however,  had  we  to  face  anything  really  bad, 
and  on  that  occasion  we  came  round  the  Mull  of 
Cantyre  in  something  very  like  a  whole  gale  ; 
and  to  be  on  the  Mull  in  such  is  an  experience 
neither  pleasant  nor  desirable. 

At  Greenock,  as  in  Glasgow,  it  was  blowing 
hard,  and  many  would-be  voyagers  declined  to 
venture.  I  asked  the  mate,  an  old  acquaintance, 
what  he  thought  of  it,  and  what  it  was  likely  to 
be  round  the  Mull. 

1  Weel,  captain,'  he  said,  meditatively,  c  I'm 
thinking  it  will  no  be  just  so  bad  as  we  expect.' 

This  reply  seemed  to  me  of  somewhat  doubtful 
import — a  little  ambiguous,  indeed — and  did  not 
bring  much  comfort  to  my  anxious  spirit. 
Neither  did  an  observation  I  overheard  one  old 
sailor  make  to  another,  and  I  fear  he  did  it  in  a 
spirit  of  fiendish  malice,  hoping  that  it  would  be 
overheard  by  many  and  sundry,  for  he  actually 
chuckled  as  he  gave  utterance  to  the  following 


£  TURNED  INSIDE  OUT.'  9 

vulgar  remark :  '  There'll  be  a  many  stamicks 
turned  inside  out  the  nicht.' 

He  was  coarse,  but  he  was  right.  Few  escaped 
on  that  occasion,  but  it  surely  must  be  considered 
demoniacal  to  make  such  an  observation  in  the 
hearing  of  the  predestined  sufferers.  And  yet  I 
was  weak  enough,  only  last  year,  on  a  voyage  to 
Skye,  to  give  that  old  fellow — not  a  bad  old  salt, 
in  some  respects — the  wherewithal  to  gratify  his 
taste  for  whisky,  because  he  knew  me  on  my  first 
trip  to  Lewis. 

But  worse,  perhaps,  than  the  Mull,  is  Ardna- 
murchan  Point ;  and  the  Minch,  the  narrow  sea 
which  separates  Lewis  from  the  mainland,  is 
sometimes  very  boisterous,  like  all  these  Hebridean 
waters. 

Before  I  proceed  to  record  the  deaths  or 
escapes  of  stags,  and  other  incidents,  it  may  be  as 
well  that  I  should  briefly  describe  the  situation 
of  our  little  lodge  and  shootings,  a  sketch  of 
which  is  appended.  It  has,  indeed,  become  almost 
classical  ground  owing  to  its  lying  on  that  Loch 
Roag,  on  the  west  coast  of  Lewis,  where  Mr. 
Black,  in  his  '  Princess  of  Thule/  has  laid  the 
principal  scenes  of  his  story,  and  portions  of 


10  LITTLE  LOCH  ROAG. 

the  scenery  of  which  he  has  so  graphically 
described.  These  form  no  unsuitable  background 
for  the  beautiful  Sheila  with  her  salutation,  i  And 
are  you  ferry  well?' 

Mr.  Anderson  Smith,  too,  has  written  a  most 
interesting  little  work  on  the  life,  manners,  and 
customs  of  the  Lews  people.*  He  was  for  some 
time  resident  at  Carlo  way,  the  other  extremity  of 
Loch  Roag  from  Scaliscro,  and  has  described  that 
portion  of  it.  The  narrow  fiord,  however,  called 
Little  Loch  Roag,  seems  to  have  escaped  his 
observation.  This  runs  for  some  three  miles  into 
the  hills  on  the  south,  and  is  separated  from  the 
parent  loch  by  a  narrow  channel  at  one  point  not 
one  hundred  yards  wide,  through  which  the  tide, 
both  ebb  and  flow,  boils  with  all  the  impetuosity 
of  a  rushing  river,  and  forms  a  sort  of  miniature 
'  corrievrechan.' 

Our  little  lodge  was  situated  on  the  east  side  of 
this  inlet  about  half-way  up. 

Lewis,  the  Lews,  the  Long  Island  — for  by  each 
it  is  indifferently  known — is,  roughly  speaking, 
sixty  miles  long  from  Butt  of  Lewis  to  Harris 
Sound,  and  about  half  that  number  broad  in  the 

*  Lewsiana. 


THE  SCALISCRO  GROUND.  11 

broadest  part,  from  Gallon  Head  on  the  west  to 
Cabay  Point  on  the  east.  The  natives,  I  think, 
more  commonly  adopt  the  second  title,  but  many, 
and  Scott  among  them,  the  last.  In  the  '  Lord  of 
Isles/  he  refers  to  it : 

'  And  all  who  hear  the  Minch's  roar, 
On  the  Long  Island's  lonely  shore.' 

The  northern  part  of  the  island  is  for  the  most 
part  composed  of  wide,  undulating  stretches  of 
peat  and  rocky  moorland,  broken  by  innumer- 
able lochs,  but  only  diversified  here  and  there  by 
hills  of  any  great  elevation.  This  gradually  alters 
as  one  goes  south,  and  the  flat  moorland  merges 
into  small  hills  and  rocky  eminences.  These,  still 
increasing  in  number  and  size,  culminate  in  the 
mountain  ranges  of  Harris,  which,  though  dis- 
tinguished by  another  name,  forms  the  most 
southern  portion  of  the  Long  Island. 

Most  of  the  Scaliscro  ground  was  composed  of 
small  hills  of  a  few  hundred  feet  in  height,  and 
these  were  broken  into  innumerable  hillocks,  or 
tumuli,  affording  fine  stalking-ground.  I  believe 
it  is  principally  in  the  Alpine  solitudes  of  the 
Harris  hills  that  the  deer  breed,  but  the  lower 
hills  and  plains  afford  pasturage  when  the  upper 


12  FOREST  OF  MORSGAIL. 

hills  are  untenable  by  deer,  so  one  tract  sub- 
serves the  other. 

The  forest  of  Morsgail,  which  marched  with  us 
on  the  south,  lies  between  Harris  and  our  little 
moor  of  Scaliscro  and  the  Grimersta  shootings. 
More  eastward,  the  whole  or  partially-forested 
shootings  of  Aline  and  Park  separate  it  from  the 
more  northern  portions  of  the  island,  which  are 
principally  grouse-ground.  Uig,  which,  though 
not  altogether  forested,  must  be  pretty  clear  of 
sheep  in  the  higher  parts  very  early  in  the  season, 
affords  a  large  number  of  stags — from  twenty  to 
twenty-five,  I  think — and  lies  just  opposite  to 
Scaliscro  across  Little  Loch  Roag  on  the  west. 
All  deer,  therefore,  must  travel  through  Mors- 
gail  before  reaching  us.  The  former  is  good  for 
about  fifty  stags. 

In  former  years  the  late  Sir  James  Matheson 
retained  this  shooting  in  his  own  hands  for  the 
use  of  his  own  friends,  but  of  late  years  it  has 
been  let,  and  it  was  our  good-fortune  to  have  in 
the  lessee  a  most  kind  and  friendly  neighbour, 
whose  early  death,  since  we  left,  many,  like  our- 
selves, have  sincerely  to  deplore. 

Since  Morsgail  has  been  let  and  regularly  shot, 


OUR  LITTLE  LODGE.  13 

deer  have  become  scarcer  on  Scaliscro,  and  good 
stags  only  occasionally  run  the  gauntlet  with 
safety  and  reach  us,  though  hinds  and  young  ones 
are  frequently  to  be  seen. 

Our  little  lodge  had  a  pretty  look-out  across 
the  loch  here  about  a  third  of  a  mile  across. 
Beyond  the  rugged  shores  of  this  was  a  tract  of 
rough,  but  tolerably  level  ground,  meeting  some 
hills  of  moderate  height.  In  the  distance  beyond 
these  appeared  the  tops  of  the  big  hills  Taival, 
Taminy-Sal,  and  others,  rising  to  about  fifteen 
hundred  feet.  To  the  left  and  south,  and  looking 
up  the  loch,  which  increases  to  three-quarters-of- 
a-mile  in  breadth,  we  have  a  grand  view  of  the 
Harris  hills,  embracing  the  tops  of  Cleisham 
Langa,  the  Waterloos,  other  high  hills  being  shut 
out  by  Sgonin  and  the  intervening  hills  of  the 
Morsgail  forest,  into  some  of  the  corries  of  which 
we  could  look  from  the  height  behind  our  lodge. 

Near  the  head  of  the  loch,  and  separated  from 
it  by  our  south  ground,  stands  the  hill  of  Calder- 
shall  Beg,  about  two  miles  from  our  lodge. 
Beyond  this  is  Caldershall  Mohr.  both  belonging 
to  Morsgail.  I  call  attention  to  these  hills  espe- 
cially, as  my  good  friend  Mr.  H.  J.  had  given 


14  WILDNESS  OF  LOCALITY. 

me  permission  to  try  them  for  a  deer  or  two 
towards  the  end  of  the  season.  They  were  toler- 
ably easy  of  access,  and  it  is  there  I  propose,  in 
the  first  place,  to  ask  the  reader  to  accompany  me 
on  a  stalk. 

To  the  north,  looking  down  the  loch,  the  only 
prominent  feature  was  the  rounded  hill  of  Suai- 
neval.  The  crags  and  small  eminences  about  the 
narrows,  a  couple  of  miles  away,  shut  out  any 
view  of  the  open  sea ;  but  this  could  readily  be 
seen  by  ascending  any  of  the  tops  behind  the 
lodge. 

On  the  opposite  side,  a  mile-and-a-half  lower 
down,  could  be  distinguished  some  of  the  huts  of 
the  village  of  Einacleit.  On  our  side,  the  nearest 
village  was  at  the  furthest  extremity  of  our  shoot- 
ing, four  or  five  miles  away,  while  our  nearest 
neighbours  were  the  residents  at  Morsgail  Lodge, 
about  the  same  distance.  We  were  about  twenty- 
four  miles  from  Stornoway,  the  island  town,  and 
nine  from  Garrynahine  inn  and  post-office.  It 
will  thus  be  seen  that  my  taste  for  wild- 
ness  of  locality  might  be  considered  as  fairly 
gratified. 

One   great   and   compensating   result    of   the 


ARRANGEMENT  OF  MATTER.  15 

entire  absence  of  trees  was  that  the  scenery  never 
looked  wintry  except  from  snow.  The  forlorn 
and  cheerless  aspect  of  bare  branches  and  fallen 
leaves  was  entirely  absent.  The  general  colouring, 
too,  was  still  bright  in  late  autumn.  The  bent 
grass,  which,  for  the  most  part,  covered  the  sur- 
face of  the  country  and  mingled  with  the  heather, 
in  summer  of  a  brown-pink  hue,  changed  to 
yellow  and  orange  as  the  season  advanced.  Later 
on  it  still  retained  a  bright  and  cheerful  colour- 
ing, as  it  faded  to  an  orange-brown,  so  that  the 
general  aspect  was  very  dissimilar  to  that  we 
generally  associate  with  winter's  or  late  autumn's 
garb. 

I  have  endeavoured  so  to  arrange  my  matter  as 
that  each  chapter  may  be  taken  up  and  read  as  a 
separate  sketch  of  sport  or  description  of  autumn 
life  in  the  Lews.  In  Part  II.  each  chapter  simi- 
larly narrates  some  incident  or  incidents  of  sport 
in  India,  and  details  the  circumstances  under 
which  they  occurred  and  their  pictorial  sur- 
roundings. 

The  illustrations  are  my  own  sketches,  and 
will,  I  trust,  prove  faithful  indications  of  the 
contents. 


16  MANUSCRIPT  WRITTEN  IN  1887. 

Will  the  reader  kindly  bear  in  mind  that  the 
manuscript  of  this  book  was  written  in  1887. 
This  is  necessary  to  account  for  dates  referred 
to. 


17 


CHAPTER  II. 

DEER-S  HOOTING. 

STALKING  ON  THE  CALDERSHALL  HILLS — THREE  JOHNS — OUR  KEEPER 
JOHN— IAN— JOHN  MACKENZIE— ALL  UNMISTAKABLY  CELTIC- 
CRAGGY  KNOLLS  AND  SMALL  CORRIES— A  FINE  VIEW — A  GOOD  STAG 
— NO  TIME  TO  BE  LOST — *  THE  DEER  ARE  THERE,  CAPTAIN  !' — 'A  TEN- 
POINTER  !' — I  TOOK  HIM  AS  HE  STOOD — '  SHE'S  GOT  THE  BULLET  !' — 
A  SNAP  SHOT — THE  MARCH  BACK — *  A  GUDE  STAG  !' 

IT  was  on  a  roughish  day  towards  the  end  of  the 
season  of  1881  that  I  availed  myself  of  the  per- 
mission given  by  my  kind  neighbour  at  Morsgail 
to  try  to  get  a  good  stag  on  and  about  the 
Caldershall  hills. 

On  our  own  ground  we  had  only  succeeded  in 
killing  a  few  unimportant  deer  without  having 
secured  one  really  good  head.  My  brother  had 
already  left,  and  I  had  only  waited  with  the 
above  object  in  view.  The  island  stags  are  small, 
and  their  antlers  have  none  of  the  wide-sweeping 
proportions  of  those  in  the  mainland  forests,  but 
still  a  head  of  ten  tynes  makes  no  despicable  orna- 

c 


18  MY  FIRST  STALK  ON  CALDERSHALL. 

ment  for  the  hall  even  when  thus  limited  in 
spread  and  size  of  branch. 

With  eager  hope,  therefore,  I  drove  off  to  the 
foot  of  Caldershall  Beg,  for  the  one  road  of  that 
part  of  the  country  wound  round  its  base  and 
formed  our  boundary.  At  about  one-and-three- 
quarter  miles  our  lodge-road  or  track — for  it  was 
not  much  better — joined  the  main  road,  and  less 
than  half-a-mile  farther  on  my  men  were  waiting 
for  me.  At  this  point  Morsgail  marched  with 
Grimersta  on  the  east  side  of  the  road,  and  a 
burn  formed  the  dividing  boundary.  The  deer 
came  nightly  on  to  our  ground  between  the  road 
and  loch,  for  there  was  some  good  grazing  there  ; 
but,  unless  a  north-east  wind  drew  them  into  the 
hills  farther  back,  they  seldom  remained,  but  re- 
turned to  Morsgail.  A  biting  north-easter  with 
hard  weather  was  best  for  our  ground.  On  this 
occasion  it  was  exactly  in  the  opposite  direction, 
which  was  all  right  for  the  hills  I  was  about  to 
travel. 

My  team  soon  had  me  out  of  the  cart,  and 
strapped  and  buckled  all  right  on  to  the  carrying 
apparatus  ;  and  this  is  a  good  opportunity  for  me 
to  introduce  John,  the  keeper,  and  the  different 


MY  TEAM. 


19 


individual  gillies  composing  my  team,  on  whose 
stamina  and  effort  my  sport  so  much  de- 
pended. 

John,  now  keeper  on  Scaliscro,  had  formerly 
been  watcher  on  the  Blackwater  river  at  Garry- 
nahine,  when  Sir  James  Matheson  retained  that 
fishing  in  his  own  hands.  Several  years  before, 
I  had  first  made  his  acquaintance  there,  when 
he  guided  me  to  the  capture  and  death  of 
many  salmon.  He  was  short  and  sturdy,  very 
keen  after  deer,  and,  knowing  every  hillock  and 
stone  about,  was  excellent  in  leading  me  by 
suitable  ways  to  compass  our  stalks.  A  bit  of 
a  scholar,  too,  was  John ;  fond  of  reading,  and 
passages  from  some  of  his  graphic  letters  will 
probably  hereafter  appear  in  this  little  volume. 
He  was  married,  and  had  a  tribe  of  children. 

There  were  three  Johns  altogether  with  me. 
I  shall  refer  to  the  keeper  as  John ;  to  John 
Ferguson,  my  leading  gillie,  as  Ian ;  and  John 
Mackenzie,  one  of  the  side-men  behind,  I  shall 
call  by  his  double  name. 

Ian  had  an  important  position  in  the  shafts 
in  front,  for  on  his  steadiness  and  lead  depended 
my  getting  into  a  good  position  for  a  shot,  and, 

c2 


20  JOHN  MACKENZIE. 

that  obtained,  on  remaining  quite  calm  and 
steady  when  I  delivered  my  shot ;  my  range 
being  confined  on  the  left-front  to  an  angle  of 
some  45°.  If  birds  were  sprung  on  the  right, 
of  course  I  could  not  take  them.  Shot  rattled 
past  his  ear  tolerably  close  sometimes,  and  at 
first  he  winced  a  little,  but  soon  became  inured 
to  this,  and  confident  as  to  my  carefulness.  He 
had  acted  in  this  capacity  when  I  first  visited 
the  Lews  several  years  before,  and,  being  strong, 
was  very  serviceable  and  careful.  His  brother 
Donald,  the  other  side-man  behind,  was  a  fine, 
good-looking  fellow,  with  a  very  keen  eye  for 
deer,  and  lifted  his  cap,  when  courtesy  so  re- 
quired, with  all  the  grace  of  the  old  regime,  as 
contradistinguished  to  the  quick  jerk  and  sweep 
which  is  the  custom  now-a-days  in  more  fashion- 
able circles. 

John  Mackenzie — an  elder  of  the  church,  I 
believe — was  the  cheeriest,  most  laughing  elder 
it  has  been  my  fortune  to  come  across.  A  sturdy, 
good-looking  fellow  was  John  Mackenzie  when 
he  first  carried  me — for  he  too  formed  one  of 
my  original  team — but  now,  like  his  master, 
somewhat  grey  about  the  gills.  According  to 


c  GOOD  AND  KINDLY  FELLOWS.'  21 

his  own  account,  he  i  had  not  got  much  Eenglish,' 
but  he  had  more  than  he  owned  to. 

Last,  within  the  shafts  behind,  came  Kenneth 
Smith.  Silent  and  reserved,  Kenny  was  thor- 
oughly reliable,  and  his  opinions  were,  I  think, 
listened  to  by  the  others  with  consideration.  A 
tall,  lean,  strong  man,  he  did  me  excellent  service. 
They  were  all  devoted  to  my  wife,  but  I  think 
Kenny  was,  perhaps,  the  most  assiduous  in  brush- 
ing off  any  specks  of  dirt  from  her  jacket,  and 
in  other  little  feminine  attentions  of  that  nature. 
He  had  no  English  to  speak  of.  His  vocabulary 
being  confined  to  such  curt  expression  as  stag, 
shnipe,  4  ole  cock,'  &c.  They  were  all  good  and 
kindly  fellows,  and  we  learned  to  regard  them 
with  a  genuine  and  most  friendly  interest,  which, 
I  think,  was  reciprocated.  All  were  unmistak- 
ably Celtic,  except,  perhaps,  John  Mackenzie,  who 
may  have  had  something  of  the  Norse  about  him. 

John  was  somewhat  radiant,  but  grave  and 
solemn,  as  became  the  serious  business  in  which 
we  were  about  to  engage. 

4  I'm  thinking  the  captain  will  be  getting  a 
shot  the  day,  whatever,'  he  remarked,  as  I  pre- 
pared to  wrestle  with  my  wraps  before  making 


22  STAGS  BEGIN  TO  ROAR. 

the  ascent  of  the  hill  in  face  of  the  cold  wind 
which  swept  round  it  in  strong  blasts. 

4  Hope  so,  John/  I  said.  *  Where  do  you  expect 
the  deer  ?' 

1  Donald  here,  he  was  hearing  two  stags  roaring 
the  morn,  but  it's  in  my  mind  that  they  are 
owre  the  march  into  Grimersta,  but  in  this 
wind  I  expect  there  will  be  deer  in  shelter  of 
Caldershall  Mohr.' 

So  replied  John,  as  we  got  into  harness,  and 
prepared  to  verify  or  not  his  expectations. 

Alas  !  the  stags  had  already  begun  to  roar, 
and  the  venison  was  likely  to  be  a  little  too 
tasty  to  suit  the  southern  palate.  But  it  would 
not  be  lost  on  that  account.  Salted  down,  it 
affords  good  meat,  possibly  wholesome,  certainly 
strong  flavoured,  for  the  winter  consumption 
of  the  Lews  man  to  eke  out  his  humbler  fare 
of  meal  and  potatoes.  A  Highlander  likes  his 
animal  food  full-flavoured,  and  certainly  stag 
out  of  season  must  meet  his  requirements  in 
that  respect,  and  be  preferable  to  braxy  mutton. 

Partly  ascending,  yet  at  the  same  time  skirting 
round  Caldershall  Beg,  we  made  our  way  towards 
the  high  broken  ridge  which  connects  the  two 


OUR  FIRST  LONG  HALT.  23 

Caldershalls  at  their  north-eastern  ends.  The 
craggy  knolls  and  small  corries  about  this  ridge 
were  favourite  resorts  of  deer,  and  our  object,  in 
the  first  instance,  was  to  attain  a  certain  elevation 
whence  these  braes  and  Caldershall  Mohr  could 
be  spied,  keeping  near  the  Grimersta  boundary. 
This  we  did  it  for  about  a  mile,  when  we  reached 
a  sheltered  position  behind  some  rocks,  and  made 
our  first  long  halt. 

We  had  a  fine  view  from  this  over  Grimersta 
away  to  our  left,  where  were  to  be  seen  several 
sets  or  small  herds  of  deer,  with  one  or  two  fair 
stags  among  them.  But  this  was  c  banned  and 
barred,  forbidden  fare,'  for  I  had  no  right  over 
that  boundary. 

1  Grimersta  is  fairly  alive  wi'  the  deer  the  day,' 
remarked  one. 

To  this  John  Mackenzie  made  some  remark 
in  Gaelic,  which,  owing  to  the  approval  it  elicited 
from  the  others,  induced  me  to  ask  what  it  was. 

4  John  Mackenzie  will  be  wishing,  captain,  that 
all  those  deer  were  hanging  up  in  Scaliscro  larder/ 
said  John,  interpreting. 

4  Fery  goot,  fery  goot,'  chuckled  John  Mac- 
kenzie, approvingly,  making  use  of  his  usual  form 


24  BELLOW  OF  THE  STAG. 

of  assent ;  but  I  told  him  I  thought  he  was  a 
very  sanguinary  individual,  which  only  elicited 
more  chuckles. 

We  sat  for  some  time  watching  the  various 
little  parties  of  deer,  and  the  manoeuvres  of  the 
smaller  stags  to  outwit  the  larger  ones.  But  our 
own  ground  had  to  be  surveyed,  and  John  was 
just  about  to  depart  to  try  the  land  in  front  of 
our  advance,  when  Ian  called  our  attention  to  a 
distant  roar,  which  I  for  one  did  not  at  first  catch. 
That  singular  combination  of  other  animal's  utter- 
ances, embodied  in  the  challenge  of  a  stag,  has 
a  weird  and  mournful  effect  when  heard  in  its 
native  wastes.  I  have  listened  to  it  in  the  dark 
forests  of  Cashmere,  but,  to  fully  appreciate  it,  I 
think  it  requires  to  be  heard  mid  the  more  bleak 
and  desolate  surroundings  of  a  wild  Highland 
moor. 

John  paused.  Again  came  the  bellow,  and,  he 
declared,  from  under  Caldershall  Mohr.  Taking 
Donald  with  him,  he  left  me  and  the  remaining 
gillies  where  we  were,  till  he  had  made  sure  of 
the  ground  we  should  have  to  cross,  and  also  as- 
certain the  whereabouts  and  size  of  the  stag  we 
had  heard. 


A  GOOD  STAG.  25 

John  was  absent  so  long  that  I  was  getting 
anxious,  when  he  and  Donald  were  seen  approach- 
ing us  from  below.  He  was  very  serious — a 
symptom  I  did  not,  on  the  whole,  disapprove. 
His  story  was  brief.  He  had  seen  nothing  among 
the  small  corries  which  lay  between  us  arid  the 
northern  shoulder  of  Caldershall  Mohr,  but  had 
sighted  a  small  stag  with  some  hinds  under  that 
hill  itself.  While  he  was  examining  the  ground 
a  larger  stag  had  arrived  on  the  scene,  and  driven 
away  the  smaller  one.  He  was  afraid  the  stalk 
was  hardly  negotiable  by  me,  as  their  present 
position  was  very  exposed  just  beyond  a  piece 
of  flat  which  lay  between  the  central  portion  of 
the  extreme  bases  of  the  twin  hills.  The  deer 
had  been  very  restless,  but  had  not  moved  far 
from  the  position  in  which  he  first  discovered 
them,  and  had  now  lain  down.  The  stag  he  con- 
sidered a  good  one,  and  well  worthy  of  any 
exertions,  if  by  any  means  I  could  be  brought 
within  shot.  We  decided  that  at  any  rate  I 
should  go  and  have  a  look  at  them,  so  we  buckled 
to,  and,  still  ascending,  crept  round  various 
knolls,  and  through  little  passes  till  we  had 
reached  the  plane  of  the  ridge,  and  from  behind 


26  MATTERS  LOOKING  SERIOUS. 

the  top  of  a  little  hill  I  was  able  to  survey  the 
ground  lying  between  us  and  the  abrupt  hill  of 
Caldershall  Mohr. 

Yes,  there  they  were !  A  few  hinds  and  a  stag, 
still  quietly  reposing  and  quite  unconscious  of 
danger.  But  they  were  the  best  part  of  a  mile 
away  in  a  straight  line,  and  no  approach  could  be 
made  directly  from  our  present  position. 

John  asked  me  what  I  thought,  and  I  asked 
him  what  he  thought,  and  the  result  was  that,  in 
the  hope  that  they  would  shortly  move  to  a  more 
favourable  position,  we  would  have  our  luncheon 
and  give  them  time.  This  we  did  and  finished 
our  pipes,  the  wind  being  strong  from  the  deer, 
and  yet  they  had  not  moved. 

Matters  were  looking  serious,  for  no  time  was 
to  be  lost  if  a  shot  was  to  be  got  at  that  stag. 
Every  yard  we  went  towards  him  took  us  away 
from  the  road,  which  it  behoved  me  to  reach 
before  dark,  for  stumbling  about  over  a  rough 
moor  in  the  dark  was  not  a  desirable  process.  I 
consulted  the  men  as  to  their  abilities,  for  I  felt 
very  undecided  what  to  do.  With  deer  in  view, 
they  one  and  all  declared  they  would  carry  on  to 
the  utmost  of  their  strength,  and  get  the  captain 


PROCEEDING  TO  ACTION.  27 

a  shot,  and  I  knew  they  were  really  most  anxious 
to  do  so.  John  was  doubtful  as  to  its  being 
worth  trying,  for  our  stalk  would  have  to  be 
made  along  the  face  of  Caldershall  Mohr,  the 
shoulder  of  which  would  have  to  be  gained  by 
our  advancing  under  cover  of  the  ridge,  in  the 
shelter  of  which  we  were  now  resting.  The  wind, 
it  is  true,  blew  right  over  Caldershall  Mohr,  but 
might  come  round  either  flank  and  possibly  be  at 
our  backs  as  we  advanced  along  its  face.  Besides, 
he  pointed  out,  every  step  took  us  farther  from 
the  road ;  but  still  I  thought  that  he  rather  wished 
I  would  decide  to  try  it.  And  this  I  did. 

We  therefore  lost  no  farther  time  in  talking, 
but  proceeded  to  action.  We  descended  a  little, 
and  then  kept  in  as  straight  a  line  as  the  irregu- 
larity and  unevenness  of  the  ground  admitted,  so 
as  to  reach  Caldershall  Mohr's  flank. 

This  was  all  plain  sailing,  and  we  effected  our 
object  without  hindrance.  It  was  now  necessary 
to  get  another  look  at  the  deer,  and  a  steep  knoll, 
a  jutting  promontory  from  the  shoulder  of  Cal- 
dershall, afforded  a  good  position,  while  the  men 
took  another  good  rest. 


28  *  A  TEN-POINTER,  JOHN  !' 

c  The  deer  are  there,  captain/  said  John,  £  but' 
— and  he  paused  awhile — *  it  will  not  be  easy  to 
get  within  shot,  for  they  are  in  an  open  place.  I 
could  stalk  them,  but  I'm  thinking  the  captain 
will  be  coming  in  sight  of  them,  for  there  are  no 
braes,  but  jest  slopes  from  the  hill  like.  She's  a 
ten-pointer  anyway.' 

c  A  ten-pointer,  John  !'  I  exclaimed ;  '  I'll  have 
a  struggle  for  it.  anyhow !' 

So  again  we  started ;  John  leading,  spy-glass 
in  hand,  and  carefully  feeling  the  way.  Once  he 
turned  and  looked  at  me  with  a  very  mournful 
expression.  I  knew  what  he  meant,  for  had  I, 
too,  not  felt  the  wind  at  my  back  ? 

As  we  cautiously  advanced  along  the  side  of 
the  hill,  at  some  distance  from  its  base,  we  re- 
gained more  confidence,  for  no  fresh  puff  of  wind 
had  come  round  from  the  shoulder  we  were  now 
rapidly  leaving,  and  we  had  surmounted  several 
undulations  without  exposing  ourselves  to  the 
deer.  Round  every  turn  John  first  carefully 
crept,  and  surveyed  the  ground  in  front  before  he 
motioned  us  to  follow,  but  the  gillies  had  to  stoop 
as  low  as  possible  in  crossing  some  of  these  slop- 


LIKE  A  JACK-IN-THE-BOX.  29 

ing  ridges.  Above  us  on  our  left  the  hill  was 
very  steep,  while  below  was  a  flat,  across  which 
we  had  looked  from  our  first  position. 

As  we  got  nearer  and  nearer,  without  being 
discovered,  John's  lips  got  whiter.  He  was  very 
keen,  and  the  excitement,  while  making  him  very 
calm,  quite  blanched  him.  He  came  alongside 
Ian,  at  one  or  two  ticklish  places,  and  placing  his 
hand  on  the  nape  of  lan's  neck,  pressed  his  head 
down.  When  relieved  of  this  external  force,  poor 
lan's  head  not  unnaturally  resumed  its  normal 
position,  and  bobbed  up  again.  Again  was  the 
pressure  renewed,  and  the  same  thing  occurred 
several  times,  like  a  Jack-in-the-box.  I  could  not 
help  laughing,  though  I,  too,  was  by  no  means 
free  from  the  excitement  which  pervaded  all,  and 
probably  was  as  blanched  as  John. 

At  last  we  reached  a  ridge  in  the  neighbour- 
hood of  the  deer  across  which  we  could  not  go 
without  exposing  ourselves.  John,  however, 
wriggled  himself  over,  like  a  snake,  and  gained 
the  shelter  of  some  rocks  about  thirty  yards  in 
advance  and  rather  up  the  hill.  After  examin- 
ing the  deer,  he  returned. 

'  Yell  no  get  up  there,  captain,  without  show- 


30  ;  WAIT  TILL  HE  MOVES,  CAPTAIN.' 

ing  yourself/  he  said,  in  a  hoarse  whisper.  c  Ye 
must  just  tak  them  from  where  ye  are.  They'll 
no  be  owre  a  hundred  and  fifty  yards  from  you 
this  minute.' 

1  All  right,  John,'  I  said,  as  he  placed  the  rifle 
in  my  hands,  and  the  men  cautiously  and  step  by 
step  proceeded  to  elevate  my  chair,  till  I  could 
just  peep  over  the  ridge.  They  effected  this,  and 
placed  it  fairly  firm  on  the  ground,  supporting  it 
at  the  same  time,  they  themselves  being  on  their 
knees,  or  stooping. 

My  eye  at  once  fell  on  the  stag.  He  had  not 
winded  us,  for,  happily,  the  wind,  and  that  very 
strongly,  came  round  the  further  shoulder  of  the 
hill,  and  was  almost  direct  from  him  to  us.  Still 
he  was  uneasy,  and  stood  looking  straight  in  our 
direction.  The  hinds  were  some  distance  beyond, 
and  watching  him. 

' 1  must  take  him  as  he  is,  John,'  I  whispered. 

'  Wait  till  he  moves,  captain,'  he  replied. 

But  that  move,  I  feared,  might  only  be  a  jump 
round  and  gallop  off,  so  I  decided  to  take  him  as 
he  stood,  though  the  shot  was  a  difficult  one,  as 
he  exposed  nothing  but  his  head  and  chest.  In 
my  situation,  however,  I  was  obliged  to  take 


LOOKING  GLOOMY.  31 

shots  as  I  could  get  them,  and  not  be  very 
particular  as  to  their  being  favourable. 

So  I  'aimed,  pulled,  and  fired.  There  was  the 
ping  of  a  bullet,  such  as  it  makes  when  glancing 
off  a  stone,  and  taking  its  onward  passage  through 
the  air.  I  was  rather  astonished  at  this,  for  the 
deer  were  standing  on  mossy  ground ;  but  the 
stag  whisked  round  and  galloped  off  with  the 
hinds. 

The  wind  was  so  strong  that  the  rifle-shot 
seemed  hardly  to  have  startled  them,  and  they 
paused  after  galloping  a  few  yards,  apparently  a 
little  uncertain  whether  to  run  up  into  the  wind 
or  go  down  the  hill  and  across  the  flat  I  have 
mentioned.  The  leading  hind  had  already  decided 
on  the  latter  course,  and  was  moving  off.  The 
stag  turned,  and  stood  for  a  moment,  for  he  had 
evidently  not  made  us  out,  and  exposed  his 
broadside,  and  I  got  in  my  left  barrel.  They 
then  all  galloped  down  the  hill,  he  with  them, 
apparently  untouched. 

The  men  threw  themselves  flat  on  the  ground, 
and  I  remained  motionless,  as  we  were  now  fairly 
in  view. 

I  felt — well,  as  keen  sportsmen  do  feel  when, 


32  '  HE'S  HIT  !' 

after  much  toil  and  perseverance  and  patience 
and  excitement,  failure  is  the  result.  John  was 
looking  quite  miserable,  and  gloom  and  regret 
were  depicted  on  the  faces  of  all ;  but  not  a  word 
was  spoken. 

The  deer  had  reached  the  flat,  and  were  coming 
gradually  round,  making  for  the  ridge  of  hillocks 
which  had  been  the  sheltering  ground  of  the  first 
part  of  our  stalk.  I  was  watching  them  closely, 
and  suddenly  I  fancied  I  saw  the  stag  falter  and 
go  lame,  but  so  slightly  as  to  be  merely  con- 
jectural. Again  I  thought  there  was  something 
faltering,  something  unusual  in  his  gait. 

c  Why,  John,'  I  said,  '  he's  hit ;  he's  lame.' 

'  No,'  said  John,  mournfully,  taking  no  very 
particular  observation,  '  she's  no  hit.' 

4  Ay,  but  she  is,  though/  exclaimed  Ian, 
excitedly.  '  She's  lame,  whatever.' 

John,  roused  to  keener  observation,  took  a 
look  through  the  glass  carefully  and  earnestly, 
and  just  then  the  stag,  in  jumping  a  little  peat 
drain,  stumbled  nearly  to  his  knees. 

'What  do  you  say  to  that,  John?'  I  asked, 
triumphantly. 

John  did  not  immediately  reply,  but  his  face 


c  WHAT  DO  YOU  SAY  TO  THAT  ?'         33 

relaxed.  Apparently  he  was  hardly  yet  quite 
satisfied,  but  it  was  not  for  long. 

4  She's  very  bad,'  he  said,  decidedly.  '  She's 
got  the  bullet,  captain,  and  no  mistake.' 

The  pace  of  the  stag  shortly  became  reduced 
to  a  walk,  despite  the  movements  of  the  hinds, 
who,  after  galloping  on  for  some  distance,  stopped, 
and,  turning,  eyed  their  lord  and  master,  wondering 
at  his  laziness. 

Gloom  had  now  entirely  disappeared  from  the 
aspect  of  all.  Intense  arid  vivid  interest  took 
the  place  of  previous  despondency.  To  a  High- 
lander the  very  sight  of  deer  brings  a  refreshing 
excitement ;  but  a  stricken  deer,  and  stricken 
by  means  of  their  own  exertions,  meant  eager 
thirst  for  blood. 

The  poor  stag  had  now  stopped,  and,  with  his 
back  towards  us,  stood,  taking  no  notice  of  the 
hinds.  Poor  beast !  His  evident  suffering  moved 
me  to  that  pity  for  the  objects  of  my  chase 
which  habit  has  been  unable  to  subdue.  The 
men,  however,  felt  none  of  this.  Their  emotions 
were  limited  to  an  intense  desire  to  see  the 
death — a  craving  for  i  taking  hair.' 

The  late  afternoon  was  drawing  into  evening, 

D 


34  STRAINING  EVERY  NERVE. 

and  we  anxiously  waited  for  the  next  move ; 
for  we  had  but  scant  time  to  get  back  before 
dark.  Happily,  we  had  not  long  to  wait.  The 
hinds  had  galloped  away,  most  probably  having 
winded  us,  leaving  the  stag  alone.  He,  after 
standing  awhile,  went  slowly  towards  the  hillocks 
and  little  glens  of  the  ridge  I  have  so  often 
referred  to,  and  right  in  the  direction  of  our 
return  journey. 

c  Now,  lads  !'  said  John,  c  directly  the  stag  goes 
out  of  sight,  up  with  the  captain,  and  run  for 
your  lives.' 

Minutes  seemed  doubled  and  trebled  as  the 
stag  slowly  and  laboriously  ascended  a  little  pass, 
and  at  last  passed  out  of  sight  behind  a  low  hill 
on  the  other  side  of  the  flat.  John  instantly 
seized  the  rifle,  and  made  off  down  the  slope 
at  the  double,  while  my  men  speedily  got  into 
harness,  and  followed  him  at  a  similar  pace. 
The  hill  descended,  away  we  went  across  the 
flat,  perhaps  half-a-mile  broad.  1  had  often  been 
jumped  across  peat  drains,  and  hurried  up  to 
a  point,  but  it  took  me  all  I  knew  to  keep  in 
my  little  chair  on  that  occasion,  for  my  eager 
carriers  were  straining  every  nerve.  We  reached 


A  WEAK   HURRAH.  35 

the  other  side  of  the  flat,  but  not  yet  could 
they  rest.  John  was  behind  some  rocks,  and 
gesticulating  to  us  wildly.  We  hurried  towards 
him  up  the  steep  brae,  and,  as  we  neared,  he 
ran  back,  put  the  rifle  into  my  hands,  and 
whispered, 

'He's  lying  down  on  the  other  side  in  the 
glen.' 

There  was  no  time  to  put  me  down  when  we 
reached  the  top,  for  just  as  I  got  my  eye  on  the 
stag,  lying  down  about  seventy  yards  off,  he 
sprang  up  and  galloped  off  up  the  glen.  In 
another  second  or  two  he  would  have  been  out 
of  sight  behind  some  rocks,  when  I  fired  a  snap 
shot,  and  brought  him  down  with  a  shot  through 
the  back. 

Perhaps  the  men  may  be  forgiven  for  doing 
anything  so  totally  opposed  to  cocker,  but  the 
true  historian  must  relate  that  they  gave  vent  to 
a  weak  hurrah,  a  feeble  pa3an  of  triumph.  I 
should  hardly  have  thought  that  they  had  it  in 
them,  all  pumped  as  they  were. 

John  was  tearing  down  the  brae  like  a  maniac, 
and  soon  had  his  knife  in  the  stag's  throat,  and 
finished  what  remained  of  life  in  it.  We  followed 

D2 


36  THE  MARCH  BACK. 

more  leisurely,  and  all  talked,  as  John,  after 
gralloching,  proceeded  to  cut  off  the  head. 

I  expressed  to  the  men  my  admiration  at  the 
way  in  which  they  had  trundled  rne  along.  Said 
Donald,  c  I  wouldna  have  done  it  for  my  life,  'tis 
only  for  the  deer.' 

The  stag  proved  to  have  ten  points,  as  John 
had  said,  and  we  found  that  my  first  bullet  had 
grazed  the  inside,  low  down,  of  the  right  antler, 
which  accounted  for  the  pinging  sound  I  had 
heard.  The  second  had  hit  him  in  the  body,  and 
must  have  proved  eventually  fatal,  though  he 
might  have  lingered  some  time.  The  third,  as  I 
have  said,  caught  him  in  the  back. 

A  whisky  round,  and  we  prepared  for  our  march 
back  to  the  road,  on  our  way  towards  which  our 
last  run  had  fortunately  lessened  by  half-a-mile 
or  so. 

John  with  the  head  on  his  back,  and  holding 
it  by  an  antler  over  each  shoulder,  and  smoking 
like  a  furnace,  led  the  way,  a  happy  and  contented 
man.  I  was  by  no  means  dissatisfied  with  myself, 
and  the  gillies  were  elate.  And  so  I  killed  my 
first  good  stag  in  the  Lews.  It  was  followed  by 
others,  but  I  never  got  a  better  head. 


<A  GUDE  STAG!'  37 

The  last  part  of  our  journey  was  fortunately 
easy  ground,  for  it  was  almost  quite  dark  when 
we  reached  the  road,  and  I  was  rather  done  up 
when  we  arrived  at  the  lodge.  Each  was  keen 
to  be  the  first  to  impart  to  the  4  misthress  '  the  good 
news  of  our  luck,  so  as  I  drove  up  to  the  door, 
and  my  dear  companion,  somewhat  anxious  at 
our  prolonged  absence,  came  forth  to  greet  me, 
and  inquire  of  our  sport,  there  was  a  chorus  of 
triumphant  exclamations — c  A  ten-pointer,  Mis- 
thress N.'  '  A  gude  stag  !' 


38 


CHAPTER  III. 

GROUSE-SHOOTING. 

OUR  LITTLE  MOOR — GOOD  FOR  WOODCOCK — EAGLES — AN  EAGLE'S 
NEST  HARRIED— EAGLES'  EGGS— EAGLES  HUNTING  BLUE-HARES—- 
PEREGRINE FALCONS— WILD  CATS — OUR  MILESTONE  MAN— TAME- 
NESS  OF  GROUSE  IN  THE  WEST — A  WOODCOCK  IN  OCTOBER— SNIPE — 
POINTERS — HABITS  OF  WOODCOCK — STRANGE  DEATH  OF  WOODCOCK 
— SHOT  USED — SCIENTIFIC  SHOOTING. 

BEFOKE  detailing  other  stalks  it  was  my  good- 
fortune  subsequently  to  make,  and  the  luck,  good 
or  bad,  attending  them,  I  propose  to  describe  the 
character  of  our  little  shooting,  and  its  avi-fauna^ 
as  well  as  any  other  frequenters  of  that  wild 
spot. 

I  call  the  moor  little,  for,  though  about  seven 
thousand  acres  in  extent,  it  only  afforded  some  one 
hundred  and  thirty  brace  of  grouse  in  a  season, 
besides  woodcock,  snipe,  and  a  few  blue  hares. 
Compared  with  those  important  and  well-stocked 
shootings  yielding  large  bags,  this  of  course  is 
insignificant,  but  still  it  gave  a  little  genuine 


OUR  BEST  GROUSE-GROUND.  39 

sport  over  dogs  to  those  who  were  contented,  like 
ourselves,  with  a  few  brace  a-day. 

About  half  the  ground  was  cleared  of  sheep, 
that  half  adjoining  Morsgail,  and  this  of  course 
was  for  the  most  part  our  best  grouse-ground. 
Indeed,  a  considerable  portion  of  the  other  was 
almost  barren  ground,  except  for  the  presence  of 
a  few  aged  cocks,  who  had  it  all  to  themselves. 
Still  there  were  bits  which,  comparatively  speak- 
ing, were  very  fair,  notably  the  steep  hill  of 
Mokhlut  and  its  neighbourhood,  which  was  the 
scene  also  of  various  stalks,  as  it  was  a  favourite 
resort  of  deer.  A  fuller  description  of  this  will 
appear  hereafter. 

Scaliscro  was  very  good  for  woodcock  in  the 
winter ;  but,  as  we  always  left  early  in  November, 
that  charming  sport  was  lost  to  us,  except  for  a 
few  brace  we  generally  managed  to  pick  up  before 
leaving.  A  winter  in  the  Lews  is,  to  say  the 
least  of  it,  trying.  It  is  not  so  much  the  cold, 
for  ordinarily  snow  does  not  lie  long,  owing,  I 
believe,  to  some  warm  current  of  the  Gulf  Stream 
impinging  on  that  bleak  coast ;  but  the  winds 
sweep  over  the  land  with  a  continued  and  re- 
morseless fury  unknown  in  more  favoured  regions. 


40  THE  GOLDEN  EAGLE. 

Storms  get  up  on  the  shortest  notice,  for  of  these 
Hebridean  waters  it  may  indeed  be  said  that 

'  These  seas  are  the  field  of  combat  for  the  winds.' 

Such  being  the  climate,  we  did  not  venture  to 
stay  beyond  the  late  autumn. 

By  right  of  its  royalty,  the  golden  eagle  claims 
first  mention,  for  we  bred  our  own  eagles,  and  it 
is  not  every  little  shooting  that  is  so  highly  hon- 
oured by  royalty.  A  mile  or  more  behind  the 
lodge,  up  among  some  hills,  was  the  eagle  rock. 
A  pair  of  golden  eagles  built  there  each  year  of 
our  tenancy,  though  not  always  with  successful 
results.  On  one  occasion  only  did  we  harry  the 
nest,  and  procured  two  eggs  to  go  to  our  collec- 
tion ;  but  evil  befel  one  of  the  parents  on  more 
than  one  occasion,  I  fear,  during  our  absence. 

The  nest  was  constructed  on  a  broad  ledge 
among  some  broken  craggy  ground  on  the  side 
of  a  hill  dominating  the  glen  below,  but  not 
visible  from  above,  unless  the  intruder  got  close 
enough  to  peer  over  the  rock.  From  below,  at 
some  short  distance  away,  we  could  see  the  mate- 
rials of  which  the  nest  was  composed,  and  it 
seemed  easy  of  access  either  from  above  or  below 


EAGLES'  EGGS.  41 

—far  easier  than  it  actually  was,  but  still  not 
presenting  insuperable  difficulties  to  a  determined 
cragsman,  or  even  an  ordinarily  active  man.  I 
believe  that  the  man  who  secured  the  eggs  for  us 
was  assisted  down  from  above  by  a  rope,  under 
John's  superintendance. 

On  the  first  occasion  on  which  we  visited  the 
crag  and  its  vicinity  there  lay  not  very  far  away 
the  remains  of  a  dead  eagle,  which  it  was  said 
had  been  destroyed  by  shepherds  poisoning  a 
dead  lamb,  and  it  had  made  its  way  thus  far  to- 
wards the  nest,  for  it  was  killed  in  the  breeding 
season. 

In  1883,  I  see,  by  the  following  extract  from 
a  letter  from  John,  that  no  eggs  were  to  be  had 
that  year.  We  had  given  permission  for  them  to 
be  taken  for  the  collection  of  our  kind  neighbour 
at  Morsgail :  c  Eagle  did  not  lay  in  the  old  place 
after  building  there,  sir.  One  was  found  dead 
near  here,  whether  it  was  the  same  or  not,  sir. 
Therefore  I  am  afraid  Mr.  J.  won't  get  any  eagles' 
eggs.' 

We  have  seen  as  many  as  three  at  a  time  of 
these  noble  birds  on  the  wing  near  the  lodge, 
in  sight  of  which  they  often  came ;  sometimes, 


42  EAGLES  HUNTING. 

indeed,  in  the  immediate  vicinity,  evidently  with 
a  view  to  the  keeper's  ducks.  Our  rock  was,  I 
believe,  the  only  nesting-place  in  our  neighbour- 
hood. Most  of  them  breed  in  the  secluded  and 
almost  inaccessible  crags  among  the  heights  of 
the  Harris  hills,  and  many  a  time  we  watched 
them  winging  their  way  to  their  fastnesses  in  that 
direction,  seeming  to  go  so  slowly  and  leisurely, 
yet,  with  the  powerful  sweep  of  their  long  wings, 
cleaving  the  air  at  a  great  pace. 

Often,  too,  we  have  watched  them,  sometimes 
singly,  sometimes  in  pairs,  hunting  the  hillside 
on  our  own  ground  in  quest  of  blue  hares, 
regularly  quartering  the  ground;  but  we  were 
never  fortunate  enough  to  see  a  kill.  Their 
proceedings  called  to  mind  many  an  occasion 
on  which  I  had  seen  something  similar  in  India, 
though  the  actors  were  far  inferior  both  in  size 
and  importance,  being  hawks  of  some  kind  or 
other.  Hares  were  sometimes  simply  buffeted  to 
death.  I  have  seen  two  hawks  making  swoop 
after  swoop  at  a  running  hare,  each  taking  up 
the  running  the  one  from  the  other,  and  giving 
the  hare  no  rest,  yet  not  fixing  on  it.  Falcons, 
wild  or  trained,  of  course  make  a  speedy  end  to 


FINE  VIEW  OF  AN  EAGLE.  43 

the  combat,  after  swooping;  but  by  some  of  the 
tribe  it  seems  to  be  the  aim  to  exhaust  the 
quarry. 

I  had  a  fine  view  of  an  eagle  when  out  after 
grouse  one  day  preening  himself  on  the  top  of  a 
hill,  and  endeavoured  to  get  nearer;  but  he  had 
taken  good  care  to  select  a  situation  which  com- 
manded all  avenues  of  approach,  so  I  had  to  be 
contented  with  watching  him  from  a  distance  of 
some  hundreds  of  yards. 

We  had  with  us  a  little  pet  rough  terrier  dog, 
which  used  to  accompany  my  wife  in  her  some- 
times solitary  rambles.  It  was  much  the  colour 
of  a  red  hare,  and  on  one  occasion  she  observed 
an  eagle  soaring  at  some  distance.  Gradually 
it  approached,  and  persistently  followed  them  as 
she  walked  along  the  road  towards  home.  At 
times  it  came  so  close  that  she  shouted  and  shook 
her  stick  at  it,  fearing  that  it  took  the  dog  for 
a  hare,  and  would  pounce  upon  it.  It  treated 
her  with  the  most  dignified  contempt,  and  quite 
disregarded  her  efforts  to  frighten  it  away.  The 
creature  seemed  so  uncanny  that  at  last  she 
picked  up  her  little  dog,  and  made  the  best  of 
her  way  home  with  it  in  her  arms.  I  do  not 


44  EAGLE  DISAPPOINTED. 

suppose  he  meditated  any  real  assualt  upon  the 
dog,  but  that  he  was  acting  in  the  fashion  of 
his  kind,  and  utilising  the  hunting  propensities 
of  his  four-footed  friend  below  and  waiting  on 
events,  in  case  of  game  being  found  and  started. 

How  often  in  India  does  this  happen  to  the 
small-game  sportsman.  A  sudden  swishing  sound, 
a  feathered  bolt  dropping  swiftly  and  suddenly 
from  somewhere,  till  now  unperceived,  and  per- 
haps a  wounded  bird  borne  away  in  triumph. 
Sometimes,  of  course,  the  marauder  pays  the 
penalty  of  his  audacity,  and  gets  the  contents 
of  a  left  barrel,  but  often  as  not  takes  his  share 
of  the  game  he  has  been  watching  for;  for  he 
seems  instinctively  to  know  when  the  gun  is 
empty,  to  judge,  at  least,  l?y  the  time  he  so  often 
selects  for  his  swoop.  John  told  me  that  the 
nearest  he  ever  was  to  an  eagle  was  one  evening 
when  he  was  walking  home  by  the  road.  A 
grouse  dashed  past  just  in  front  of  him,  and,  in 
close  pursuit,  came  an  eagle,  which  almost  brushed 
him  with  its  wings  as  it  swooped  past.  The 
grouse  just  managed  to  get  into  one  of  the 
interminable  peat  drains,  and  the  eagle  soared 
upwards  disappointed. 


PEREGRINE  FALCONS.  45 

Besides  eagles,  we  were  visited  by  peregrine 
falcons,  and  many  other  predatory  birds.  My 
brother  shot  a  peregrine  on  one  occasion  when 
out  after  grouse,  as  it  exhibited  an  unmistakable 
desire  to  share  his  sport.  I  did  not  hear  of  any 
of  their  nests  on  our  ground.  I  greatly  fear 
that,  despite  the  assertions  of  falconers  and 
others,  they  commit  a  vast  deal  of  havoc,  not 
only  among  the  sickly,  but  the  healthy  grouse. 
It  would  indeed  be  a  grievous  pity  were  all 
these  beautiful  creatures,  which  add  such  a  charm 
to  the  landscape,  arid  are  so  interesting  to  the 
naturalist,  to  be  improved  off  the  face  of  the 
earth ;  but  I  can  hardly  wonder  at  the  game- 
keepers' desires  in  that  direction. 

Many  other  of  the  hawk  tribe  built  in  the 
crags  along  Little  Loch  Roag,  and  ravens  and 
hoodies  prevail  as  elsewhere.  No  amount  of 
destruction  seems  to  exterminate  them.  Besides 
these  marauders,  we  had  the  great  black  back- 
gull,  and  he  is  about  as  bad  as  the  worst.  With 
his  powerful  beak  he  could,  I  should  think,  make 
short  work  of  a  lamb. 

Wild  cats  we  had  not ;  but,  what  perhaps  is 
worse,  domestic  cats  run  wild.  These  on  several 


46  CATS  RUN  WILD. 

occasions  exercised  John's  patience  and  ingenuity 
before  he  was  able  to  compass  their  destruction. 
Where  the  cats  came  from  I  do  not  know.     We 
were  twenty-four  miles  from  Stornoway — at  least, 
I  believe  that  was  about  the  number  of  milestones. 
But  those  milestones — or  rather  the  wooden  pil- 
lars which  did  duty  for  them — had  become  some- 
what involved.     It  was  said  that  the  excellent 
and  able  workman  whose  duty  it  was   to  collect 
and  repaint  these  somewhat  perishable  indications 
of  space,  had  performed  his  contract,  and  was  on 
the  way  to  replace  them  in  their  respective  posi- 
tions.    However,  it   fell  out   that   he  met  some 
friends,  and  naturally  an  exchange  of  ideas  and 
of  whiskies  took  place.     The  result  was  that  our 
milestone  man  became  somewhat  mixed  as  to  the 
respective  destination  of  each  individual  post,  and 
stuck  them  up  without  a  perfect  regard  to  their 
proper  sequence.     And  there  they  remained,  and, 
truth  to  say,  I  have  not  heard  that  much  incon- 
venience has  been  done  to  anyone,  or  any  way- 
farer been  misguided  by  their  somewhat  erratic 
misplacement. 

I  have  said  that  the  chance  of  getting  shots  at 
deer  formed  the  great  attraction  at  Scaliscro.    We 


GROUSE.  47 

killed  a  few  hinds  when  stags  were  not  to  be  had, 
for  venison  is  venison,  and  a  larder  so  distant 
sometimes  short  of  meat,  and  our  agreement  pro- 
vided for  the  slaughter  of  some.  Indeed,  we  did 
not  kill  the  number  allowed.  I  shall,  however, 
treat  of  deer  in  chapters  to  themselves. 

Grouse  were  fairly  plentiful  on  some  parts  of 
the  cleared  ground.  I  think  the  best  day  my 
brother  and  myself  had — shooting  near  each 
other,  but  not  quite  in  company,  for  my  approach 
to  game  somewhat  hindered  a  companion — we 
killed  twenty-three  brace,  besides  extras.  I  see, 
too,  that  on  one  or  two  occasions  I  killed  thirteen 
brace  to  my  own  gun.  But  we  were  well  con- 
tented with  half  of  that,  for  we  shot  for  sport, 
not  for  the  credit  of  big  bags.  Indeed,  after  kill- 
ing a  few  brace,  I  have  sometimes  stopped.  At 
times,  of  course,  a  brace  or  two  was  all  that 
rewarded  our  exertions,  especially  in  the  un- 
cleared ground,  and  we  had  to  work  hard  even 
for  that. 

I  do  not  know  if  any  valid  reason  has  been 
assigned  for  the  remarkable  tameness  of  grouse  in 
the  west  and,  I  believe,  north  of  the  Highlands 
of  Scotland,  as  compared  with  the  east  and  centre. 


48  DISINCLINATION  TO  TAKE  WING. 

This  seems  to  be  especially  marked  in  the 
Hebrides,  and  perhaps  most  distinctly  so,  in  the 
Lews.  They  will  lie  to  dogs  like  stones  occa- 
sionally, in  fine  weather,  up  to  the  last  day  of 
the  season.  In  wild  weather  they  do  get  some- 
what wild,  and  difficult  of  approach,  but  they 
never,  or  very  rarely,  pack,  as  the  term  is  under- 
stood in  other  parts.  A  covey  or  two  may  run 
together,  and  in  snowstorms  a  number  may 
assemble  on  any  spot  cleared  by  the  wind,  or  in 
shelter ;  but,  the  emergency  over,  they  will  again 
separate,  and  lie  close  in  fine  weather.  Even 
when  wild,  they  often  prefer  taking  to  their  legs 
than  to  their  wings,  I  think. 

Especially  have  I  found  this  disinclination  to 
take  wing  in  Skye.  It  is  very  wearisome  work, 
sometimes,  running  after  an  old  running  cock, 
trying  to  overhaul  him  and  make  him  rise,  and 
very  trying  also  for  dogs.  Fully  exposed,  he 
first  endeavours  to  keep  about  out  of  range,  and 
works  his  way  along  at  a  very  respectable  pace. 
These  old  stagers  are  so  mischievous  and  do  so 
much  harm  at  the  breeding  season  that  the  keep- 
ers often  beg  you  not  to  spare  them,  but  take 
them  as  they  run.  I  confess  I  had  some  severe 


A  LUCKLESS  WOODCOCK.  49 

qualms  of  conscience  at  first,  but  1  came  to 
recognise  how  desirable  it  was  that  this  advice 
should  be  sometimes  acted  on,  and  with  consider- 
able compunction  I  have  done  so.  On  one  occa- 
sion, last  year  in  Skye,  this  led  to  one  of  the  most 
remarkable  shots  I  ever  made. 

My  dog  had  pointed,  arid  drew  on,  evidently 
after  a  moving  bird.  I  hurried  up  as  quickly  as 
the  nature  of  the  ground  admitted,  for  it  was  a 
steepish  hill-side,  and  shortly  sighted  a  solitary 
old  cock  making  the  best  use  of  his  legs  some  dis- 
tance ahead.  The  keeper  took  the  dog  and  we 
got  on  in  chase  as  fast  as  we  could,  but  the 
wretched  old  fellow  held  his  own.  I  used  to 
make  my  men  fill  their  pockets  with  stones,  to 
try  to  pelt  them  into  taking  wing,  on  similar 
occasions,  but  had  none  on  this,  and  it  was  often 
unsuccessful.  My  men  could  not  overhaul  the 
runner,  or  get  within  fifty  yards. 

'  Take  him,  sir,'  said  the  keeper.  '  He's  best  off 
the  ground,  anyway.' 

So  take  him  I  did  with  my  left  barrel,  which 
is  choked.  He,  however,  rose  and  flew  over  the 
ridge,  evidently  badly  hit.  We  followed,  and  I 
saw  something  flutter  for  a  moment  near  the  spot 


50  CHANCE  SHOTS. 

whence  he  had  risen,  and,  going  up,  we  picked  up 
a  woodcock  which  had  been  struck  by  the  same 
shot.  It  was  quite  early  in  the  season — about 
the  middle  of  October — and  the  very  few  cocks 
which  had  arrived  were  widely  scattered  over  the 
surface  of  the  country,  and  this  was  probably  the 
only  bird  on  the  whole  of  that  wide  hill-side,  for, 
though  1  beat  it,  I  found  no  other. 

That  he  should  place  himself  just  in  the  only 
spot,  unseen  by  me,  which  would  receive  the 
shot  which  killed  him,  presents  a  combination  of 
adverse  and  extreme  chances  which,  I  think, 
renders  remarkable  the  death  of  that  unfortunate 
bird.  Had  it  been  another  grouse,  though  singu- 
lar, there  would  not  have  been  such  a  discord  of 
probabilities. 

We  picked  up  the  old  cock-grouse  quite  dead, 
just  over  the  ridge,  and  I  continued  on  my  way, 
marvelling  at  the  strangeness  of  chance  shots. 

I  called  to  mind  how,  once  in  India,  I  fired  at 
arid  killed  a  snipe,  and  picked  up  another  a  little 
further  on,  killed  on  the  ground  by  the  same 
shot.  I  remembered,  too,  how  once  I  fired  at  a 
bull  Neilghye,  and  a  cow  succumbed  to  the  shot. 
How,  why,  or  wherefore,  I  never  could  account. 


A  TELLING  RIGHT  AND  LEFT.  51 

for  the  bull  went  off  apparently  untouched.  But 
this  present  one  beats  all  the  singular  shots  I  had 
ever  made. 

Curiously  enough,  I  found  on  my  return  that 
same  day  that  my  brother  had  also  had  his  little 
experience  of  novelty  in  the  way  of  shots.  Two 
snipe  rose,  he  fired  at  one,  and  bagged  both. 

Thinking  over  wonderful  shots  brings  to  my 
recollection  a  case  in  the  Lews  which  may  be 
considered  something  out  of  the  common.  It 
happened  to  a  dear  friend  and  relative  of  my  own 
now  an  esteemed  pillar  of  the  church,  and  not 
unknown  in  the  cloisters  at  Westminster  Abbey. 
He  was  staying  at  Soval  with  the  late  Mr. 
Hutchinson  ('  Sixty-One '),  who  then  rented  that 
shooting.  He  fired  both  barrels  at  a  covey, 
selecting  his  birds,  as  an  old  and  experienced 
shot  would  do ;  and  the  whole  covey  of  six  fell 
to  his  double  discharge.  Even  had  he  fired 
into  the  brown,  this  would  have  been  a  remark- 
able shot,  but  naturally  he  picked  his  birds  out. 
Very  good  was  he  at  all  sports ;  for  I  suppose 
canons,  and  deans,  and  even  bishops  and  other 
clerical  great  guns,  may  have  a  natural  aptitude 
and  taste  in  that  direction  in  their  youth.  Many 

B2 


52  i  SIXTY-ONE.' 

a  time,  in  my  boyhood,  when  he  was  a  young 
Oxford  undergrad,  and  a  hero  of  heroes  to  a 
small  boy  about  to  go  into  jackets,  have  I  and 
a  younger  brother  had  the  deep  gratification 
and  honour  of  assisting  to  pull  off  his  hunting 
boots,  and  of  bringing  from  lower  regions  the 
comforting  mug  of  beer  with  which  to  slake  his 
well-earned  thirst.  He  was  often  a  welcome 
visitor  at  my  father's  house,  arid  occasionally 
rode  his  solitary  hunter  with  the  '  Berkeley.' 
Thus  it  happened  that  I  acted  as  his  valet,  to 
my  youthful  satisfaction. 

My  relative's  host,  Mr.  Hutchinson,  with  whom 
I  was  acquainted,  rented  several  shootings  in  the 
Lews,  indeed,  may  almost  be  said  to  have  brought 
them  into  notice ;  but  all  concerning  these,  are 
they  not  written  in  the  chronicles  contained  in 
that  charming  book,  i  Twenty  Years  in  the  Lews, 
by  Sixty-One.'  A  true  sportsman  and  a  great 
lover  of  dogs,  he  has  compiled  a  little  work  of 
great  interest.  I  only  regret  that  I  have  not 
got  it  by  me  to  refer  to.  I  think  he  mentioned 
that  once — and  once  only  —  had  a  hundred 
brace  of  grouse  been  killed  in  one  day  in  the 
Lews  by  a  single  gun — Sir  F.  Millbank,  then  a 


SETTERS  AND  POINTERS.  53 

partner  with  him.  This  too,  I  have  heard,  was 
only  accomplished  by  having  the  birds  previously 
driven,  and  congregated  in  one  part  of  the  moor. 

i  Sixty- One's  '  excellent  breed  of  Gordon  setters 
were  well  known,  and  highly  appreciated.  I  shot 
over  one  on  my  first  introduction  to  the  Lews, 
and  my  eldest  brother  obtained  a  descendant  at 
Scaliscro,  and  it  has  since  done  him  excellent 
service,  though  with  such  a  disposition  to  extreme 
obesity  as  to  render  it  a  subject  of  wonder  how 
the  old  thing  can  roll  over  the  moor  and  find 
game  as  she  does. 

I  possessed  a  breed  of  pointers,  three  of  which 
— of  my  own  breeding — I  took  to  Scaliscro. 
Pointers  are  not  suited  to  stand  that  rough 
climate,  at  any  rate  in  the  winter.  Happening, 
however,  to  have  them,  I  took  them,  unwilling 
to  go  to  the  expense  of  buying  setters,  which 
I  would  have  preferred.  One  of  these  was  a 
case  of  a  gun-shy  dog,  which  entirely  overcame 
its  shyness  by  kind  and  persistent  treatment. 
In  one  respect  they  were  very  suitable,  for  me 
especially,  being  exceedingly  staunch  at  point, 
and  would  stand  for  any  length  of  time.  But 
I  lost  them  all.  I  left  them  in  charge  of  the 


54  BLINDNESS  IN  POINTERS. 

keeper,  but,  in  the  course  of  the  fourth  season, 
two  of  them  developed  blindness.  I  tried  several 
remedies  ineffectually,  and  brought  back  with  me 
one  only  partially  affected,  and  submitted  it  to 
the  inspection  and  treatment  of  a  highly-skilled 
veterinary  surgeon.  He  diagnosed  it  as  eye 
paralysis,  the  result  of  bad  housing  or  bad  feed- 
ing. In  this  case  it  was  the  former,  for  the 
kennels  were  very  draughty  and  damp.  This 
dog,  too,  went  quite  blind,  though  otherwise  in 
good  health  and  spirits. 

Like  all  the  western  isles,  Lewis  is  very  good 
for  woodcock.  They  do  not  breed  there,  except 
so  exceptionally  as  to  prove  the  rule,  as  is  the 
case  on  the  mainland  coast  opposite,  but  immi- 
grate in  the  winter.  Towards  the  middle  or  end, 
of  October,  according  to  the  moonlight  nights 
and  direction  of  wind,  one  or  two  are  to  be 
picked  up,  but  are  widely  scattered,  and  it  is 
not  till  later  that  they  are  found  in  considerable 
numbers,  in  certain  favourite  localities.  We  had 
some  very  good  ground  for  them  on  Scaliscro. 

My  brother  generally  secured  the  first  of 
the  season,  and  this  he  did  on  the  29th  of 
October  in  1883.  On  one  occasion  I  got  one 


CORNCRAKES.  55 

close  to  the  lodge  very  early,  and  it  was  some- 
what singular  that  on  the  same  day  I  shot  a  corn- 
crake. I  strolled  out  in  the  afternoon  for  an 
hour  or  two  to  pick  up  a  snipe,  of  which  a  few 
were  among  the  old  cultivation  close  to  the  lodge. 
I  did  not  intend  to  shoot  any  more  grouse  there. 

I  had  picked  up  a  snipe  or  two,  when  a  blue 
hare  got  up  ;  this  I  killed.  Then  a  corncrake  rose 
from  a  point  out  of  some  thick  rushes.  This 
also  fell.  I  continued  my  stroll  round  by  the 
shore  under  Craig-ny-Owen — the  hill  of  birds — 
just  south  of  the  lodge.  A  woodcock  here  next 
unexpectedly  got  up  out  of  shot,  and  pitched 
again  somewhat  farther  on.  I  found  him,  wild, 
and  dropped  him  by  a  very  long  shot.  I  then 
killed  one  grouse,  just  to  make  up  the  variety  of 
bag,  and  returned  well  satisfied  with  my  brief 
afternoon's  performance. 

Last  year,  on  the  west  coast  of  Skye,  I  also 
killed  a  corncrake  very  late  in  the  season.  It 
was  on  the  open  moor,  and  on  this  occasion  also 
rose  from  some  rushes  or  coarse  grass.  I  had 
previously  bagged  one  close  to  cultivated  land, 
but  this  was  earlier  in  the  season,  and  a  long  way 
from  the  place  where  I  got  the  other. 


56  ILL-LUCK  WITH  COCKS. 

Mr.  Hutchinson  says  that,  in  rough  weather, 
woodcocks  often  lie  flat,  with  wings  outstretched, 
on  the  top  of  rocks  or  stony  eminences. 

I  have  sometimes  found  them  in  the  peat- drains, 
lying  under  shelter  of  the  overhanging  bank 
above,  and  somewhat  damp  quarters  they  must 
find  them.  Come  upon  them  from  their  front, 
and  they  regularly  charge  at  one  in  evacuating 
their  resting-places.  I  have  lost  shots  by  this, 
for,  as  explained,  I  cannot  get  turned  round  in 
time,  or  fire  except  within  a  radius  of  some  forty- 
five  degrees  to  my  left  front. 

I  can  recall  an  occasion  where  they  did  not 
behave  like  respectable  woodcocks  but  acted  in 
this  wise,  and,  out  of  some  seven  or  eight  birds 
which  might  have  been  bagged,  I  only  got  two. 
This  was  on  a  capital  bit  of  ground  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  Meavaig  on  the  Uig  shootings, 
ground  which  I  had  permission  to  beat  from 
some  kind  friends  who  that  year  rented  Uig. 
The  birds  either  persistently  darted  back  over 
me,  or  went  off  in  the  most  obstinate  way  to 
my  right  hand,  so  that  1  could  not  get  shots  at 
them. 

There   has  been  considerable  discussion  going 


SIZE  OF  SHOT  57 

on  of  late,  in  the  sporting  papers,  as  to  the  use  of 
small  shot  in  shooting  grouse.  I  do  not  mean  to 
enter  into  a  controversy  handled  by  so  much 
abler  men  than  myself,  but  I  may  mention  that, 
with  small  shot  in  a  choke  barrel,  I  have  made 
some  very  long  shots.  In  India,  as  an  all-round 
shot,  I  found  number  seven  to  be  the  most  gene- 
rally effective.  This  was  in  the  old  muzzle-load- 
ing days,  when  charges  were  not  so  easily  changed 
as  cartridges  are  now-a-days,  and  a  shot  suitable 
for  all  comers,  from  duck  to  quail,  was  desirable. 
If  shooting  snipe  only  in  a  jheel,  or  quail  in 
fields,  I  often  used  a  smaller  shot,  as  I  did  a 
larger  for  duck  alone.  But  for  general  pur- 
poses number  seven  answered  well,  and  I  still 
possess  the  liking,  born  of  habit,  for  that  size 
as  an  all-round  shot. 

There  has  also  recently  been  a  great  deal  writ- 
ten on  the  subject  of  ' swing'  and  'aiming  for- 
ward,' and,  indeed,  science  invoked  to  aid  in  the 
elucidation  of  the  mysteries  attending  the  flight 
of  shot. 

Our  young  gunners  ought  to  attain  early  pro- 
ficiency, with  so  much  all  ready  to  their  hand  or 
to  their  head.  In  my  young  days,  I  fear,  we 


58  PRACTICE  AND  SCIENCE. 

learnt  our  science  by  experience,  and  practically 
adopted  the  theory  of  '  swing '  or  '  aiming  for- 
ward,' or  both,  from  a  perhaps  unconscious  or 
intuitive  sense  that  such  was  necessary  to  ensure 
success  at  crossing  shots. 


59 


CHAPTER  IV. 

SOME  OF  OUR  FAILURES. 

RIFLES  AND  SHOT-GUNS — OUR  FIRST  STALK — A  CAUTIOUS  CHASE — THE  STAG 
TAKES  THE  HINT — ESCAPE  OF  WOUNDED  STAG— HINDS  RIGHT  AND 
LEFT— LYING  SHOTS  DIFFICULT— DISAPPEARS  ON  THE  OTHER  SIDE- 
SOME  OF  OUR  FAILURES. 

THERE  is  something  in  the  feel  and  handling  of  a 
rifle  quite  distinct  from  that  of  a  shot-gun — at 
least,  so  it  always  seems  to  me.  It  gives  one  a 
sense  of  greater  power,  of  a  wider  capacity  to 
cope  with  all  comers.  This  may  be  but  the  out- 
come of  Indian  experiences,  which  embrace  a 
more  frequent  use  of  the  rifle  than  is  possible  in 
England,  and  in  a  sense  obliges  one  to  be  more 
dependent  on  it,  especially  when  engaging  big 
game.  But  I  confess  to  a  somewhat  similar  feel- 
ing, though  in  a  mitigated  degree,  when  after 
deer  in  the  Highlands  of  Scotland,  for  indeed  it 
is  a  grand  and  true  sport  that  stalking  of  the 
noble,  antlered  monarch  of  the  waste — even 


60  POETRY  OF  STALKING. 

though,  in  my  case,  shorn  of  so  much  that  gives 
it  interest,  though  not  of  difficulty.  There  is  a 
charm  and  poetry  in  it  quite  distinct  from  that 
of  shooting  driven  game. 

Again  to  refer  to  old  Indian  experience,  it 
seems  to  me  to  compare  with  the  tracking  of  wild 
boars  to  their  resting-places,  and  then  riding 
them,  in  distinction  to  beating  them  out  of  cover 
with  the  same  object  in  view.  Both  forms  of 
the  sport  were  very  dear  to  me,  but  the  former 
was  ever  the  most  cherished,  where  practicable. 

With  such  sentiments,  the  reader  will  not 
wonder  that  I  selected  Scaliscro  in  preference  to 
a  shooting  where  the  rifle  would  be  practically 
useless,  though  more  grouse  might  be  obtained. 
My  brother  had  left  it  to  me  to  arrange,  and  I 
fear  I  consulted  my  own  tastes  more  than  his. 
However,  neither  of  us  regretted  the  selection,  as, 
apart  from  considerations  of  sport,  it  enabled  us 
to  spend  many  pleasant  days  in  boat- wandering 
among  the  beautiful  islands  of  Loch  Roag,  and  in 
other  excursions  with  a  view  more  to  sketching, 
and  hunting  for  the  natural  treasures  of  the  sea 
and  land,  than  to  slaying  wild  creatures.  Of 
these  I  shall  speak  hereafter,  and  proceed  then  to 


OUB  FIRST  STALK.  61 

relate  what  befell  us  on  our  first  stalk  of  an 
island  stag,  for  we  did  it  in  company. 

One  day  in  September,  1880,  it  was,  that  John 
informed  us  that  from  the  hills  in  rear  of  the 
lodge  he  had  spied  a  good  stag  lying  on  the 
northern  side  of  the  rugged  eminence  called 
Mokhlut,  situated  about  three  miles  by  road  from 
Scaliscro,  but  considerably  less  by  a  direct  line 
across  the  moor,  and  this  latter  we  took,  necessi- 
tated thereto  by  the  direction  of  the  wind. 

A  good  deal  of  the  route  was  hill,  and  we  had 
both  beaten  it  for  grouse,  but  this  was  the  first  oc- 
casion, as  I  have  said,  on  which  we  stalked  a  stag, 
though  a  hind  or  two  had  fallen  to  our  rifles. 
All  went  well.  From  different  tops  where  we 
stopped  to  rest,  the  stag  could  be  viewed  lying 
down  in  a  sort  of  green  pass  which  separated  the 
higher  portion  of  Mokhlut  from  other  small  hills 
and  craggy  knolls  receding  from  it.  From  several 
of  these  he  was  in  range,  and  altogether  the  posi- 
tion was  decidedly  favourable  for  a  stalk.  But 
there  existed  one  element  of  danger.  In  and 
about  the  spot  were  several  sweet  bits  of  green 
grass  much  affected  by  sheep,  and  indeed  on  one 
knoll  was  the  skeleton  of  an  old  summer  sheiling. 


62  CONTINUED  STALK. 

Solitary  stags  often  select  such  spots  in  the 
vicinity  of  a  few  scattered  sheep  ;  for  the  latter 
in  the  Lews  are  often  half-wild  themselves,  and 
ready  to  take  and  give  alarm  on  little  provoca- 
tion, and  this  is  probably  quite  known  to  the 
stags  when  unaccompanied,  as  in  this  instance, 
by  any  hinds  to  act  as  their  look-outs. 

John,  who  knew  every  inch  of  the  ground, 
and  where  we  could  pass  unperceived,  and  where 
we  could  not,  had  laid  his  plans  well.  It  is  true 
that  'the  best  laid  plans  of  mice  and  men  oft 
gang  agee,'  and  those  of  the  deer-stalker  are  no 
exception ;  but  we  had  no  reason  to  anticipate 
discomfiture  in  this  instance,  unless  those  un- 
lucky sheep  should  wind  or  see  us.  John  was 
somewhat  exercised  in  his  mind  about  them,  for 
we  could  see  that  several  were  feeding  in  the 
neighbourhood.  We  had  to  cross  the  turf  fence 
which  marked  and  enclosed  the  cleared  ground, 
and  this  was  somewhat  of  a  lift  for  me,  but  with- 
out any  farther  difficulty  we  attained  the  base  of 
the  knolls  which  gradually  ascended  towards  the 
little  plateau  just  under  the  upper  part  of  Mokhlut 
where  the  stag  was  lying. 

Here  Donald   suggested  that  my  men  should 


A  RUTHLESS  OLD  COCK.  63 

take  off  their  boots  to  prevent  the  danger  of 
sending  stones  rolling  or  making  too  much  noise 
on  the  rock  at  one  or  two  stiff  places,  up  which  I 
had  to  be  hauled  by  sheer  strength.  I  did  not 
think  this  necessary,  but  he  had  already  divested 
himself  of  his — for  it  was  our  first  real  good  stalk, 
and  he  was  greatly  excited — though  the  others 
retained  theirs. 

John,  exceedingly  calm,  was  soon  leading  us  to 
a  rocky  bit,  behind  which  he  felt  sure  we  should 
get  a  good  shot,  but  he  at  once  saw  that  a  posi- 
tion a  little  lower  down  was  better,  and  would 
bring  us  within  about  one  hundred  yards  of  the 
stag,  and  accordingly  towards  this  we  moved. 
We  had  agreed  that  whoever  first  got  his  sight  on 
the  stag  should  fire.  We  were  getting  close  to 
the  sheltered  top  selected,  and  were  fully  prepared 
when 

I  shall  not  readily  forget  the  nervous  horror 
— that  is  the  only  word — when  an  old  cock-grouse 
got  up  at  our  very  feet,  and  with  a  peculiarly  ex- 
asperating cuck-cuck,  flew  straight  away  over  the 
edge  towards  the  recumbent  stag.  Were  it 
possible  for  a  man  to  howl  curses  in  a  whisper,  I 
believe  that  man  was  John.  That  muttered 


64  GONE. 

anathemas  followed  the  wretched  bird — a  solitary 
old  stager  that  ought  to  have  been  improved  off 
the  face  of  the  earth  ages  ago — may  readily  be 
believed.  But  no  amount  of  smothered  imprecation 
could  arrest  or  recall  that  fleet  and  noisy  old 
rascal.  The  mischief  was  done.  It  only  remained 
for  us  to  rush  to  the  top  and  see  what  chance 
would  offer. 

Of  course  the  stag  had  taken  the  hint.  The 
loud  and  warning  cry  of  a  suddenly  disturbed 
old  cock  was  not  likely  to  be  lost  on  him,  or  even 
the  flight  of  the  bird.  He  was  galloping  away 
over  the  shoulder  of  Mokhlut  when  we  sighted 
him  some  two  or  three  hundreds  of  yards  away. 
I  believe  we  both  foolishly  fired,  but  ineffectually. 

We  examined  the  place  where  he  had  been 
lying,  and  found  we  should  have  got  within  a 
hundred  yards  of  him,  if  all  had  gone  well.  My 
brother  followed  in  the  direction  the  stag  had 
taken,  still  on  our  ground,  and  again  sighted  him, 
but  did  not  get  a  shot. 

Not  far  from  this  very  place,  on  a  subsequent 
occasion,  my  brother  killed  a  nice  yeld  hind,  but 
Mokhlut  Hill  itself  proved  unlucky  so  far  as  stags 
were  concerned. 


LOST  STAG — HINDS  RIGHT  AND  LEFT.  65 

I  once  obtained  a  shot  at  a  stag  lying  down 
within  two  or  three  hundred  yards  of  the  same 
place,  and  hit  him  badly,  but  too  far  back.  I 
thought  at  first  he  could  not  rise,  but  eventually 
he  did  stagger  up  after  some  struggling,  and  went 
away  slowly  with  three  or  four  hinds.  Again  I  got 
a  long  shot,  but  missed.  This  appeared  to  revive 
him,  for  he  went  away  apparently  stronger  after  it, 
and  I  never  came  up  with  him  again,  or  saw  any- 
thing more  of  him,  though  I  hunted  far  and  wide, 
it  being  the  duty  of  every  sportsman  to  endeavour, 
by  doing  all  he  can,  to  put  an  end  to  the  misery  of  a 
wounded  deer.  That,  I  think,  was  the  only  stag 
that  escaped  after  being  wounded. 

On  this  occasion,  on  my  return  home  in  the 
spring  cart  which  carried  me  to  and  from  the  places 
of  the  day's  sport  so  far  as  they  could  be  reached 
by  the  road  which  formed  one  boundary  of  our 
shootings,  a  few  hinds  crossed  the  road  just  in 
front  of  us  in  the  dark  of  the  evening,  and  stood 
within  about  a  hundred  yards  staring  at  us.  I 
had  time  to  get  the  cart  wheeled  round,  and 
managed,  still  sitting  in  it,  to  drop  a  couple  of  the 
hinds  as  they  stood,  with  my  two  barrels.  One 
was  killed  dead.  The  other,  badly  wounded,  gave 

F 


66  THE  BEST  HEAD. 

an  exciting  chase  to  the  gillies,  and  there  was 
frantic  scurrying  and  shouting.  They,  however, 
eventually  caught  arid  finished  it,  not  a  little 
delighted  at  this  stroke  of  luck  to  make  up  for  our 
earlier  mischance. 

But  the  best  head  we  saw  on  our  ground,  one  of 
eleven  points,  I  clean  missed.  On  this  occasion 
the  wind  was  in  the  best  airt  for  our  ground,  the 
north-east,  and  we  drove  with  the  object  of  in- 
specting the  little  corries  on  the  side  of  Mokhlut 
just  above  and  facing  the  road. 

A  brief  survey  by  John  disclosed  a  good  stag, 
with  two  hinds,  lying  under  some  rocks  in  a 
corry  near  the  top  of  the  hill.  There  had  been 
an  early  autumn  fall  of  snow,  and  some  of  this 
was  still  lying  scattered  over  the  moor,  crisp 
from  a  sharpish  frost.  After  taking  a  look,  we 
advanced,  and  made  a  good  deal  of  crackling  at 
times  ;  and  more  than  once,  as  we  rounded  the 
successive  knolls,  still  ascending,  felt  very  exer- 
cised in  mind  as  to  its  effect.  But  there  was  a 
sharp  wind  blowing,  and  we  remained  unheard. 

We  had  to  compass  about  half-a-mile  of  easy 
stalking-ground  before  we  arrived  in  the  immedi- 
ate vicinity  of  our  game.  What  with  the  stiff 


A  HIGHLAND  PANACEA.  67 

braes  and  the  frozen  snow,  our  task  now  assumed 
greater  difficulties ;  but  we  surmounted  them, 
and  reached  the  spot  John  had  fixed  his  mind 
and  eye  upon.  He  now  squirmed  forward  to 
get  a  last  view,  and  satisfy  himself  that  all  was 
right  before  taking  me  up.  He  soon  came  back, 
and  announced  that  the  stag  was  there  lying 
down  under  a  sheltering  rock  in  the  same  position 
in  which  we  had  first  sighted  him. 

'  I  have  no  seen  sae  gude  a  beast  on  the  ground 
for  years/  he  said. 

c  How  far  will  he  be  from  the  top  of  the  knoll?' 
I  asked,  with  a  view  to  putting  up  the  right  sight. 

4  I'm  thinking  it  will  be  near  on  a  hundred  and 
fifty  yards,  whatever,'  he  replied.  l  And  I  canna 
take  the  captain  any  nearer,  for  there's  a  wide 
glen  on  this  side  of  the  stag.  But  will  ye  no  tak 
a  drap  of  whusky  before  ye  go  up,  sir;  ye  are 
looking  cold  and  pinched-like.' 

Perhaps  I  was  ;  for  the  north-easter  was  bitter. 
Perhaps,  also,  I  looked  a  bit  nervous,  and  John, 
no  doubt,  thought  the  Highlander's  panacea  for 
all  ills  might  develop  in  me  a  more  lusty  frame 
of  mind.  But  I  never  find  my  shooting  improved 
by  stimulants,  and  so  declined. 

F2 


68  LOST. 

We  reached  the  top  of  the  brae  undiscovered, 
and  it  took  me  a  few  seconds  before  I  distin- 
guished the  stag,  lying  down  in  the  most  fancied 
security.  These  lying  shots  are  not  nice  ones. 
They  are  difficult ;  for  the  stag's  body  is  pre- 
sented in  its  smallest  aspect,  especially  about  the 
shoulders.  But,  as  I  have  explained,  I  am  bound 
to  take,  and  generally  to  take  at  once,  what  the 
gods  provide  ;  for  one  cannot  say  what  the  next 
movement  may  be,  or  if  it  be  one  still  to  remain 
within  the  compass  of  my  range,  or  leave  me  the 
ability  to  take  advantage  of  it.  So  I  took  him  as 
he  lay,  quite  unsuspicious  of  danger ;  arid  at  first  I 
thought  I  caught  the  sound  of  the  welcome  '  thud.' 
But  he  started  up  at  once,  and  made  off  round 
the  rock,  the  two  hinds  with  him.  I  put  in  the 
left  barrel,  but  without  stopping  him,  and  had 
the  disgust  to  see  all  three  top  the  hill  and 
disappear  on  the  other  side,  apparently  quite 
fresh  and  unharmed.  John  arid  the  others  ran 
on,  to  try  to  mark  them,  but  they  went  away  out 
of  sight. 

We  found  that  my  first  bullet  struck  the  rock 
just  above  his  shoulder.  The  second  we  could 
not  account  for,  and,  the  wish  being  father  to 


ANOTHER  FAILURE.  69 

the  thought,  I  had  at  first  conjectured  he  might 
have  got  it,  till  I  saw  them  vanish,  running 
strongly,  and  the  men  returned  with  their  report. 

I  greatly  mourned  the  loss  of  that  stag  ;  for 
this  was  during  the  first  season  of  our  tenancy, 
and  John  and  the  men  were  also  more  or  less 
miserable  at  my  failure,  and  very  probably  at- 
tributed it  to  the  refusal  of  that  '  wee  sup  o' 
whusky.'  We  certainly  saw  far  more  stags  during 
that  year  than  on  all  the  subsequent  ones  counted 
together,  but  were  very  unlucky  with  them,  as  I 
have  in  part  described.  They  only  came  and  went 
in  north-east  winds,  of  which  we  had  a  larger 
supply  that  year  than  subsequently. 

I  missed  another  stag  among  the  small  corries 
of  Mokhlut  on  another  occasion,  three  years  later, 
but  it  was  very  thick  and  dark,  and  the  light 
very  bad ;  and  he  went  away  at  once  across  the 
boundary  on  to  Grimersta. 

Su  ch  is  a  record  of  some  of  our  failures.  I  do 
not  propose  to  dwell  any  farther  on  them  or 
others,  but  proceed  to  the  more  agreeable  task  of 
chronicling  success,  or  mingled  failure  and  suc- 
cess. Those  occasions—  and  there  were  one  or  two 
— when,  though  effecting  a  good  successful  stalk,  I 


70  TRYING  RESULTS. 

was  unable  to  take  advantage  of  it,  owing  to  my 
position  with  respect  to  the  deer,  or  to  my  chair 
being  off  the  level,  I  shall  leave  untold.  It  is 
somewhat  trying  to  find  deer  within  shot,  and 
not  able  to  avail  oneself  of  it,  after  perhaps  the 
long-continued  exertions  which  have  enabled  one 
to  attain  the  position  of  being  within  range. 


71 


CHAPTER  V. 

BETTER  LUCK. 

A  400  EXPRESS  RIFLE  BY  LANG— SUFFICIENTLY  POWERFUL,  AND  THE 
LIGHTNESS  AN  ADVANTAGE — GOOD  LUCK  NEAR  MOKHLUT — AN  OPEN 
STALK — A  RUNNING  SHOT  AND  KILL — THE  CALDERSHALLS  AGAIN — 
VIEWS — A  LONG  STALK  AND  A  FINE  SHOT. 

MOKHLUT  did,  however,  yield  a  stag  or  two  before 
the  end  of  our  tenancy. 

I  had  hitherto  shot  with  spherical  bullets,  but 
in  1882  I  purchased  a  beautiful  little  double- 
barrelled  *400  Express  rifle  by  Lang,  for  my  kind 
Morsgail  neighbour  had  told  me  he  had  shot 

many  deer  with  such  a  weapon.     Lady  M , 

too,  had  been  successful  there  in  killing  some 
with  a  very  small  bore.  As  weight  was  an  im- 
portant consideration  to  me,  I  was  glad  to 
follow  in  the  footsteps  of  those  whose  experience 
had  proved  such  light  weapons  to  be  equal  to 
the  occasion.  Since  then  I  have  seen  in  the 
Field  a  similar  tool  recommended  by  another 


72  SMALL-BORE  RIFLES. 

sportsman  in  the  Lews,  who  habitually  used  that 
bore  for  deer ;  and,  so  far  as  my  limited  experi- 
ence goes,  I  found  it  sufficiently  powerful.  It — 
or,  perhaps,  better  still,  a  single  barrel  of  that 
bore — seems  to  me  to  be  just  the  rifle  for  the 
Indian  sportsman,  so  far  as  antelope  and  small 
fry  of  that  nature  are  concerned,  being  exceed- 
ingly handy,  and  easily  carried  on  horseback.  I 
would  not  for  a  moment  think  of  recommending 
it  for  big  game  in  place  of  a  more  powerful 
weapon,  but  to  those  who  can  afford  a  varied 
battery  it  would  be  very  useful  as  a  cherished  com- 
panion in  one's  rides  and  walks  in  a  well-stocked 
shikar  country.  Many  a  chance  have  I  had 
where  such  would  have  enabled  me  to  get  a  shot, 
but  which,  weaponless,  I  had  to  let  pass  dis- 
regarded. It  was  like  a  mere  toy,  but  it  is  a 
powerful  one,  and  with  straight  powder  is  most 
effective.  I  will  relate,  for  example,  a  few  speci- 
mens of  its  powers. 

Donald  had  brought  us  word  that  a  fair  stag 
and  several  hinds  were  lying  in  a  little  strath  at 
the  base  of  Mokhlut  on  the  north,  which  separated 
it  from  the  low-lying  eminences  in  that  direction. 
The  ground  was  very  open,  and  the  position  diffi- 


AN  OPEN  STALK.  73 

cult  of  approach  with  the  wind  in  the  airt  it 
was  that  day. 

We  commenced  our  approach  from  about  the 
same  spot  on  the  road  whence  I  had  commenced 
to  stalk  the  eleven-pointer ;  but  this  time  kept 
to  the  right.  We  tried  hard  to  get  within  range 
from  this  direction  under  cover  of  hillocks  and 
tummocks  at  the  base  of  Mokhlut.  Attaining  the 
extreme  sheltered  point  in  that  direction,  we  found 
that  we  could  not  approach  even  within  a  long 
range,  so  retraced  our  steps  to  the  road,  John 
looking  glum  and  dissatisfied. 

The  approach  down  wind  would  have  been  the 
simplest  thing  possible,  as  the  ground  in  that 
direction  was  the  picture  of  good  stalking-ground, 
but  of  course  this  was  quite  out  of  the  question. 
Deer  seem  to  delight  in  tantalising  the  eager 
stalker  in  this  way,  and  select  resting-places 
with  fine  stalking-ground  to  windward,  which 
they  know  their  keen  scent  renders  safe  as  the 
open. 

Returning  to  the  road,  we  held  council.  John 
was  c  feared  for  the  wind  ;'  he  did  not  see  how 
we  could  approach  the  deer  without  getting  into 
it,  and  so  giving  them  our  scent  long  before  we 


74  UNEXPECTED  LUCK- 

could  get  near  them.  He  would  take  another 
look.  This  he  did  from  the  top  of  a  neighbour- 
ing eminence,  and  on  his  return  expressed  it  as 
'joost  a  chance,  but  the  only  way  whatever.' 
We  might  go  along  up  the  little  strath,  along 
which  flowed  a  burn  in  which  sea-trout  spawned 
(I  shall  refer  to  it  again  hereafter),  and  just  take 
our  chance  of  finding  enough  shelter  by  creeping 
up  behind  a  mere  swell  in  the  ground  on  this 
side  of  the  deer.  As  for  the  wind,  of  that,  too, 
we  must  take  our  chance  that  it  would  not  come 
round  to  our  backs  on  our  way  up  the  strath. 

To  have  a  stag  four  or  five  hundred  yards 
within  our  boundary,  and  not  try  to  get  at  him, 
whatever  difficulties  lay  in  the  way,  was  not,  of 
course,  to  be  thought  of,  so  we  buckled  to  and 
started  once  more.  The  way,  barring  being  very 
wet,  was  simple  travelling.  We  crossed  and  re- 
crossed  the  burn,  and  got  along  easily  on  the 
flat  ground  on  either  side.  A  puff  or  two  of 
wind  did  come  up  suspiciously  close  from  our 
right  rear,  but  we  managed  to  get  .behind  the 
swell  in  the  ground  without  viewing  the  deer. 
More  stealthily  we  now  ascended  the  little  rise, 
but  had  barely  gained  the  top,  when  the  deer 


A  RUNNING  SHOT — DOWN.  75 

winded  us  and  made  off.  I  do  not  think  the 
stag  was  more  than  sixty  yards  off,  but  I  took  a 
snap  shot  and  missed  him. 

They  disappeared  from  view  for  a  very  brief 
period,  and  then  we  sighted  them  galloping  along 
the  other  side  of  the  little  strath.  Instead  of 
getting  directly  into  the  wind,  they  had  circled 
round,  and  were  now  full  on  their  way  to  the 
G rimers ta  ground.  I  had  time  to  pop  another 
cartridge  into  my  empty  barrel  and  get  put  down 
on  the  ground.  I  took  the  stag  as  he  galloped 
along  broadside  on,  and  felt  that  I  was  behind  as 
I  fired.  Swinging  on  with  him,  I  got  well  for- 
ward, and  dropped  him  with  my  left  dead  in  his 
tracks — a  stag  with  seven  points.  We  measured 
the  distance,  which  was  a  hundred  and  thirty 
yards.  This  was  a  good  example  of  swing  in 
shooting.  My  right  barrel  had  touched  him  in 
the  hind  leg,  but  not  in  any  way  seriously  to 
injure  or  impede  him.  The  second  barrel  was  a 
little  far  back,  but  practically  deadly.  With  a 
single  barrel  I  should  have  been  unsuccessful. 
The  corollary  to  this  is,  use  a  double  barrel. 

We  were  not  long  in  reaching  the  road,  and, 
just  where  we  deposited  the  stag,  up  got  a  snipe. 


76  A  NICE  DAY'S  SPORT. 

I  had  my  gun  and  pointer  with  me,  intending  to 
kill  a  few  grouse  on  my  way  back,  should  I  not 
get  deer,  or  get  them  quickly,  as  I  had  done, 
near  the  cross  roads  ;  so,  as  we  marked  down  this 
snipe,  I  went  up  and  killed  it  and  missed  another, 
arid  on  my  way  home  wound  up  by  killing  five 
brace  of  grouse,  which  I  found  almost  all  singly. 
I  thought  it  rather  a  good  day,  on  the  whole. 

The  successful  shot  at  this  stag  redeemed  the 
first  miss.  I  often  found  that  I  did  better  at 
longish  range  than  when  close.  What  with  the 
hurry  and  flurry  of  getting  on  deer  when  we 
made  a  particularly  successful  stalk  within  sixty 
or  seventy  yards,  and  their  greater  quickness  in 
detecting  us  and  making  off,  obliging  me  to  be 
also  hurried,  I  did  better  when  not  so  close. 
Besides  this,  the  men  had  not  time  to  place  me  on 
the  ground,  and  the  slightest  movement  on  their 
part,  when  holding  me  up,  of  course  upsets  so  fine 
an  aim  as  the  rifle  requires,  though  not  generally 
material  with  the  shot-gun,  where  all  is  in  move- 
merit. 

I  fear  the  reader  will  be  more  wearied  of  read- 
ing about  so  many  stalks,  with  no  great  event  or 
dramatic  incident  attached  to  them,  than  I  in 


AGAIN  ON  THE  CALDERSHALLS.  77 

relating  them.  I  would,  however,  trespass  on  his 
patience  in  describing  one  more,  for  I  think  on 
that  occasion,  I  made  the  finest  shot  I  ever  made 
in  my  life,  though  I  have  killed  a  tiger  and  bear 
each  dead  with  a  single  ball,  when  young  and 
active,  now  alas !  more  than  two  decades  ago. 
I  do  not  mean  to  set  up  as  a  first-rate  rifle-shot 
either  in  the  present  or  the  past.  I  never  was 
that.  At  times  only  I  did  fairly  well,  and  in  the 
course  of  some  considerable  experience,  like  most 
others,  made  occasionally  good  and  successful  shots, 
a  little  out  of  the  common,  as  was  the  one  I  propose 
now  to  relate. 

The  scene  is  again  the  Caldershalls,  and  my 
progress  for  the  first  half-mile  almost  identical 
with  that  described  in  the  stalk  of  the  ten-pointer, 
except  that  I  kept  lower  down  and  nearer  to  the 
burn  which  there  formed  the  boundary  between 
Morsgail  and  Grimersta.  That  exacting  influence 
the  wind  was  the  cause  of  this,  as  it  was  more 
from  the  south.  But  still  I  was  pretty  high  up, 
and  had  a  fine  view  over  the  country  and  on  to 
our  own  ground. 

From  the  height  we  had  attained,  to  our  right, 
we  could  see  a  portion  of  Loch  Langabhat,  l  the 


78  VIEW  FROM  THE  RIDGE. 

pure  bosom  of  the  nursing  lake/  from  which  issues 
the  Grimersta  river,  the  best  salmon  river  in  the 
Lews,  and  bad  to  beat  anywhere.  A  long,  low 
stretch  of  dark  moorland  lay  on  this  side,  said  to 
be  good  for  grouse.  Beyond  rose  in  swelling 
amplitude  Ben  More,  and  other  hills  in  Park, 
an  eastern  district  of  the  island.*  The  conical 
hill  of  Roineval  appeared  near  the  foot  of  the  long 
lake,  where  the  Grimersta  debouches ;  a  view  of 
the  latter  was  intercepted  by  the  nearer  hills  of 
Coolin,  on  the  slopes  of  which  we  could  even  now 
discern  several  deer,  and  between  them  and 
Mokhlut,  bits  of  our  fishing  loch — the  loch  of  the 
1  old  bald-headed  man.'  Bringing  the  eye  round 
still  farther  to  the  left,  the  Stornoway  road  appeared 
where  it  passed  round  the  base  of  the  rugged 
eminence  I  have  so  often  referred  to  as  Mokhlut, 
beyond  which  rose  Taival  and  other  hills  on  our 
ground.  Winding  among  braes,  here  coming 
straight  towards  us,  there  disappearing,  the  road 
could  be  traced  till  it  passed  the  cross  road  wrhich 
led  to  Scaliscro  Lodge,  and  descended  to  and 
crossed  the  burn  above  which  we  now  rested. 
Between  ourselves  and  outer  Loch  Roag,  and 

*  The  scene  of  the  recent  raid. 


AUTUMN  COLOURING.  79 

intercepting  all  view  of  it,  was  a  confused  jumble 
of  the  comparatively  small  hills  and  rocky  knolls 
and  braes  which  formed,  for  the  most  part,  the 
principal  feature  of  the  Scaliscro  ground. 

It  was  a  fair,  but  wild  and  desolate  scene,  with 
no  sign  of  human  habitation  save  one  or  two 
deserted  sheilings,  crowning  little  green  knolls, 
small  oases  in  the  moorland  waste.  But  the 
colouring  was  glorious.  Even  now,  at  this  late 
season  of  the  year,  the  tawny  brown  orange  tint 
of  the  bent,  so  plentifully  distributed  among  the 
heather  and  peaty  bogs,  contrasted  exquisitely 
with  the  numerous  tarns  and  lochlets  which 
glistened  as  they  caught  every  reflected  tint  of 
the  sky ;  the  darker  masses  of  moorland  seemed 
additionally  dark  as  the  water  shone  forth  in  blue. 

It  was  a  wildish  day,  but  gleams  broke  through 
the  hurrying  clouds,  as  their  shadows  raced  over 
the  landscape,  and  lit  up  at  intervals  loch  and  crag 
and  moor,  imparting  to  each  the  glory  of  light ;  and 
rendering  that  in  shadow  all  the  more  mysterious. 

But  we  had  not  come  out  to  dwell  on  this 
scene,  however  beautiful,  and  it  behoved  us  to 
get  on,  if  we  would  invade  the  haunts  of  the  deer 
on  this  day,  which  got  wilder  and  darker  as  it 


80  A  STAG  APPEARS. 

wore  on.  We  were  trudging  along,  when  Ian 
caught  sight  of  a  stag,  which,  however,  did  not 
see  us,  and  we  quickly  got  into  a  more  sheltered 
position. 

The  stag  was  alone,  arid  on  the  move,  evidently 
very  unsettled.  However,  he  was  soon  joined  by 
several  hinds,  and  they  all  disappeared  among  the 
knolls  of  the  high  ridge  connecting  the  two 
Caldershalls,  very  much  in  the  direction  of  the 
spot  where  I  fired  my  last  shot  and  killed  the  ten- 
pointer  the  year  before. 

I  got  into  a  nice  snug  place,  and  lit  my  pipe 
while  John  arid  Donald,  as  usual,  went  off  to  find 
out  what  place  the  deer  would  select  for  their 
rest  or  feed. 

Donald  soon  reappeared  to  take  his  place  in 
the  team,  saying  that  John  was  watching  the 
deer  which  were  feeding  among  the  braes  near 
the  scene  of  my  last  shot,  as  above  referred  to. 
We  were  soon  within  sight  of  John,  who  was 
stretched  at  length  on  the  top  of  a  hillock  among 
some  rocks,  and  watching  the  deer.  He  motioned 
us  to  remain  where  we  were,  but  presently  joined 
us,  as  usual  on  such  occasions,  grave  and  serious. 

'  He's  a  gude  stag,  sir,'  he  said.     '  I  can  make 


A  PET  RIFLE.  81 

out  five  points  on  one  antler;  but  I'm  thinking 
there'll  no  be  so  many  on  the  other.  The  points 
are  small.' 

I  had  visions  of  a  royal,  and  had  hoped  to 
improve  on  my  head  of  last  year,  so  I  asked  him 
if  there  was  no  chance  of  finding  anything  better, 
for  I  longed  to  try  my  little  '400  Express  on 
c  foemen  worthy  of  his  steel.' 

'There's  no  another  stag  this  side  Caldershall 
Mohr,  anyways,  whatever  may  be  beyant,'  he 
replied. 

As  the  c  beyant '  was  something  more  than  1 
could  manage,  I  was  fain  to  put  up  with  what 
was  provided  on  this  side,  so  accordingly  we  pre- 
pared to  tackle  our  friend  with  the  five  on  one 
antler  and  doubtful  on  the  other. 

John  and  I  both  looked  lovingly  at  the  little 
weapon  as  I  uncased  it  from  its  snug  cover,  and, 
after  looking  it  over,  handed  it  to  him  to  carry 
till  we  neared  the  deer.  He  had  acquired  a 
certain  respect  for  it  which  I  was  inclined  to 
think  he  did  not  at  first  entertain  for  such  a  toy- 
looking  little  tool.  But  he  had  learned  what  its 
powers  really  were.  He  handled  it  tenderly  as 
he  took  it  in  charge  and  led  the  way. 

G 


82  IN  VIEW. 

We  had  to  work  round  a  good  bit  under  shelter 
of  the  braes,  and  then  turned,  ascending  right 
into  them.  We  soon  came  to  a  longish  flat  ridge, 
and  John  told  us  we  should  come  in  view  of  the 
deer  in  the  little  corrie  at  the  farther  end.  Carry- 
ing rne  partly  sideways,  so  that  I  might  be  pre- 
pared for  any  sudden  emergency,  we  got  along. 

i  I'm  seeing  them,'  muttered  Ian,  who  was  most 
in  front ;  but  we  had  to  advance  a  step  or  two 
further  before  I  could  do  so.  There  they  were, 
perhaps  a  dozen  of  them,  some  feeding,  some  lying 
down,  not  a  hundred  yards  off,  but — all  hinds. 

They  ran  together,  as  some  unusual  movement 
on  the  hill-top  attracted  their  attention,  and  just 
then  up  started  the  stag,  who  had  been  lying 
hidden  a  little  beyond  them,  and  my  eye  at  once 
fell  on  him.  The  men  had  not  time  to  put  me 
down,  so,  muttering  i Steady!'  to  them,  I  took 
rapid  aim  and  fired.  The  stag  ran  towards  the 
hinds,  and  all  galloped  away  over  the  brae  be- 
yond ;  but  as  they  did  so  we  saw  that  the  stag 
was  going  lame. 

Directly  they  disappeared,  John  flew  off  in  their 
wake,  pulling  out  his  telescope  as  he  ran,  and  he 
soon  topped  the  brae,  but  at  a  lower  elevation 


HIT.  83 

than  the  deer  had  done.  He  disappeared,  and 
came  again  in  sight,  ascending  another  brae,  and 
then  we  discerned  him  crawling  forward  till  he 
reached  the  top,  and  remained  motionless.  We 
discussed  the  situation  without  daring  to  move, 
or  any  further  expose  ourselves,  and  came  to  the 
conclusion  that  the  stag  was  going  slowly,  and 
was  waiting  to  lie  down,  which  John  was  watching 
for, 

In  effect,  this  was  about  what  was  happening, 
as  John  informed  us  when  he  some  time  after 
joined  us.  Well-pleased  were  we  to  see  him 
withdraw  himself  with  a  retrograde,  crab-like 
movement  from  the  brae-top,  till  he  was  able 
to  stand  erect  in  its  shelter  and  come  towards  us. 

c  The  stag  is  hit,'  he  said,  4  but  they  deils  o' 
hinds  kept  moving  on  when  he  wanted  to  lie 
down,  and  kept  the  puir  beastie  moving.  But 
they're  gone  off  at  last,  and  he  has  turned  into 
a  bit  corrie  right  awa'  below  Caldershall  Mohr. 
I'm  thinking  ye'll  no  get  at  him,  captain.' 

There  was  a  solemn  pause.  The  excitable 
Highland  nature  is  as  easily  depressed  as  excited, 
and  mournful  looks  met  mine. 

1  Is  he  badly  hit?'  I  asked. 

G2 


84  FURTHER  PROCEEDINGS. 

1  Weel,  I'm  no  vera  sure,  captain,'  replied 
John.  '  He's  lame  in  the  shoulder  whatever,  and 
wanted  to  stop,  moreover,  but  for  the  hinds.  But 
in  my  opinion  he  will  no  be  very  bad.' 

4  Well,  anyhow,  he's  hit,  so  we  must  do  what 
we  can  to  bag  him,'  I  said ;  and  in  this  John 
cordially  concurred,  though  the  ground  would 
only  give  me  a  very  long  shot,  even  if  I  got 
anywhere  near  at  all. 

With  active  exertion  all  depression  vanished, 
and  we  took  much  the  same  course  as  we  had 
done  in  our  first  stalk  of  the  ten-pointer. 

The  day  had  got  wilder,  and  some  sharp  rain- 
storms met  us  as  we  plodded  our  way  among  the 
braes,  and,  turning,  faced  the  lower  slopes  of 
Caldershall.  It  was  a  good  piece  to  travel,  but 
we  made  the  best  of  our  way. 

As  I  have  described  the  character  of  the  route 
before,  I  shall  simply  say  that  we  attained  the 
shelter  of  a  rounded  spur  on  the  slopes  of  Cal- 
dershall without  being  detected,  and  that  John, 
spying  our  way  in  front,  said  we  could  get  no 
nearer.  The  stag  was  in  a  corrie,  on  the  other 
side  of  another  ridge,  between  two  and  three 
hundred  yards  away,  and  by  no  possible  means 


A  GRAND  SHOT.  85 

could  I  be  got  closer.  A  man  could  have 
squirmed  himself  along  to  the  next  ridge,  perhaps, 
but  not  any  larger  body  of  men  and  material 
without  being  fully  exposed. 

So  I  was  placed  on  the  ground  with  my  eyes 
just  looking  over  the  ridge.  The  evening  was 
drawing  in,  and  was  dark  and  stormy — great  ad- 
vantages to  us  in  stalking,  but,  in  taking  advan- 
tage of  the  stalk  and  aiming,  not  so  favourable. 
The  stag  was  standing  half-turned  from  us  on  the 
farther  side  of  a  gully,  and  was  more  than  two 
hundred  yards  off.  He  looked  very  dim  and 
ghostlike  against  the  hill.  He  was  aware,  I 
think,  of  our  neighbourhood,  or,  at  any  rate, 
suspected  something,  and  seemed  to  be  listening. 
He  certainly  had  not  the  wind  of  us.  I  aimed 
and  fired.  He  started  off  at  once,  not  skirting 
the  hill,  as  one  would  have  expected  from  a 
wounded  stag,  but  faced  the  steep  acclivity  above 
him,  and  got  along  at  a  fair  pace.  He  had  not 
ascended  far  when  he  exposed  his  broadside  fully 
to  me,  and  I  took  the  opportunity  of  letting  him 
have  my  left  and  pet  barrel,  not  certainly  expect- 
ing much  result.  Down,  however,  he  came, 
rolling  down  the  hill  without  a  kick,  till  brought 


86  THROUGH  THE  HEART. 

up   by  being   lodged  in  the  bottom  of  a   small 
hollow. 

c  I  never  saw  the  like  o'  that !'  exclaimed  Ian, 
quite  astonished  at  the  distance.  c  'Deed  but 
yon's  a  grand  shot.' 

John  tore  off  like  a  demon  when  he  saw  that 
the  deer  was  motionless,  tugging  away  at  his 
knife  as  his  short  and  sturdy  legs  made,  not 
exactly  fairy -like  progress,  but  still  got  over  the 
ground  sufficiently  fast.  Donald  also  held  his 
winged  course  in  the  direction  of  the  stag,  and 
they  were  both  soon  at  work  gralloching  and  cut- 
ting off  the  head. 

The  place  was  rather  too  steep  for  us.  At  any 
rate,  it  was  hardly  worth  while  struggling  up  to 
the  dead  stag,  so  we  waited  till  John  returned 
with  the  head,  bloody  and  pleased. 

4  Stone  dead,'  he  exclaimed,  triumphantly ; 
4 shot  right  through  the  heart.  'Deed,  but  it's  a 
bonnie  bit  rifle,  captain.' 

Further  inquiries  elicited  the  facts  that  the  first 
shot  of  all  had  struck  him  on  the  point  of  the 
shoulder,  but  must  have  been  somewhat  super- 
ficial, and  not  sufficient,  John  thought,  to  prove 
mortal.  Indeed,  the  stag's  activity,  just  ex- 


SMALL  POINTS.  87 

hibited,  proved  that  such  was  not  likely.  My 
right-barrel,  just  fired,  had  missed,  and  the  left, 
as  John  intimated,  was  plum  centre.  "We  all 
agreed  that  the  distance  could  not  be  less  than 
two  hundred  and  fifty  yards,  and  taking  all  the 
circumstances  into  consideration,  and  that  the 
stag  was  moving  at  the  time,  I  put  it  down  as 
the  best  shot  I  ever  made,  and  I  think  so  still. 

The  place  where  I  killed  this  stag  was  not  far 
from  the  spot  where  I  got  my  first  shot  at  the 
ten-pointer,  and  the  final  shot  at  the  latter  was 
close  in  the  neighbourhood  of  my  first  shot  on 
this  occasion. 

This  stag  had  very  small  points,  but  he  carried 
five  on  one  branch,  such  as  they  were,  but  only 
three  on  the  other.  Compared  with  good  main- 
land stags,  these  island  heads  are,  however, 
miserably  small.  We  had  a  longer  trudge  back 
than  on  the  former  occasion,  but  managed  it  in 
the  dusk  without  accident. 

I  killed  two  or  three  other  stags  and  several 
hinds  while  at  Scaliscro,  but,  in  consideration  of 
my  promise  to  my  possible  readers,  I  refrain  from 
any  further  detailed  description,  and  I  daresay 
they  will  thank  me  for  my  reticence. 


88  CASHMERE  BARASINGHA. 

My  brother  usually  left  us  before  the  time 
when  they  came  on  to  our  ground,  except  on  a 
very  few  occasions,  when  we  made  joint  stalks 
with  more  or  less  success,  and  so  it  happened 
that  the  best  stags  I  got  was  when  alone.  But, 
after  all,  these  trophies  are  but  miserable  things 
compared  with  the  antlers  of  the  noble  barasingha 
of  Cashmere  which  adorn  his  hall,  for  on  its 
beautiful  mountains  and  in  its  glorious  woods  he 
has  been  a  successful  shikaree. 


89 


CHAPTER  VI. 

LOCH  ROAG. 

ON  LOCH  ROAG— LOBSTER  CREELS— OUR  BOAT — GOOD  OYSTERS  OBTAIN- 
ABLE— EXCURSIONS — THE  NARROWS— A  BABY  WHALE — STORIES  OF 
WHALE— FLOUNDER-FISHERS — SEA-BIRDS— BEAUTIFUL  GULLS— NEIL 
MAC  RUARI— STORY  OF  THE  MACKENZIES— EXPOSURE  OF  WOMEN  ON 
A  ROCK — SEALS — WITCHES. 

A  GLANCE  at  the  map  will  show  the  position  of 
that  large  bay  or  fiord  called  Loch  Roag,  about 
ten  miles  wide  from  Gallon  Head  to  Carloway 
Point,  on  the  western  coast  of  Lewis,  The  large 
island  of  Bernera  divides  it  into  two  not  very 
unequal  halves,  the  southern  of  which  especially 
is  gemmed  with  a  number  of  beautiful  smaller 
islands  and  islets,  from  high,  heather- tipped 
braes  to  mere  bits  of  seaweed-girt  rock  rearing 
their  barren  heads  as  resting-places  for  seal  and 
seagull. 

Much  pleasant  sailing  and  very  lovely  scenery 
is  to  be  had  among  these  islands,  where  the 
winged  life  is  abundant,  and  the  seas  in  their 


90  PIER  OF  THE  WINTERING  BULLS. 

depths,  in  the  outer  parts  at  least,  teem  with 
fish.  Lobster-creels  are  to  be  met  with  in  every 
direction,  and  the  red  lug-sails  of  the  smaller 
fishing-boats,  belonging  to  those  wild  coast 
villages,  are  often  to  be  discerned,  giving  a 
pleasant  bit  of  colour  to  the  mingled  sea  and 
landscape. 

The  narrows,  which  separated  our  land-locked 
fiord  from  the  outer  loch,  were  only  negotiable, 
generally,  at  those  states  of  the  tide  which  ad- 
mitted of  our  exit  or  entry  with  it  in  our  favour, 
or  when  the  tide  was  slack.  There  was  no 
pulling  against  the  race  in  the  full  flow  or  ebb. 
So  we  were  obliged  to  select  our  days  for  excur- 
sions outside  according  to  the  tide. 

At  the  foot  of  the  knoll  on  which  our  lodge 
was  built,  and  jutting  so  far  into  the  waters  of 
Little  Loch  Roag,  that  we  could  embark  or  land 
at  all  times,  was  a  rough  stone  jetty  '  the  pier  of 
the  wintering  bulls.'  It  was  so  named  in  conse- 
quence of  the  receipts  from  the  grazing  of  several 
bulls  having  been  applied  to  its  erection  by  us. 
The  grazing  on  the  cleared  part  of  the  Scaliscro 
ground  belonged  to  the  tenant,  and  it  had  been 
customary  to  allow  certain  bulls  to  make  it  their 


OUR  BOAT — OYSTERS.  91 

winter  quarters.  Indeed,  one  old  fellow  seemed 
to  entertain  the  idea  that  he  had  a  prescriptive 
right  to  take  his  winter  feeding  there,  for  he  had 
been  known  to  appear  on  the  scene  on  his  own 
invitation,  did  no  one  drive  him  there  at  such 
time  as  he  deemed  fit. 

We  kept  a  boat  of  about  two  or  three  tons 
moored  off  the  pier.  It  belonged  to  John  and 
Donald  Ferguson,  and  was  hired  by  us.  It  had 
four  sweeps  and  a  lug-sail,  so  with  our  strong 
crew  we  were  fairly  independent  in  respect  of 
wind  and  weather.  The  dear  old  tub — endeared 
to  us  by  the  recollection  of  many  pleasant  trips 
in  it — was  slow,  broad  in  the  beam,  and  very  safe; 
and,  as  we  had  a  few  planks  at  the  stern  which 
raised  it  almost  to  the  dignity  of  a  half-deck,  it 
suited  us  fairly  well,  for,  with  the  aid  of  a  chair 
for  the  lady,  the  accommodation  though  rough  was 
sufficient. 

Very  good  oysters  were  obtainable  at  the  head  of 
our  loch,  and  these  we  used  to  collect  at  the  lowest 
spring  tides,  and  transfer  them  to  our  own  shore 
by  the  jetty  where  we  could  get  at  them  at  half 
tide  or  so,  and  were  therefore  readily  accessi- 
ble when  required.  Mussels  and  most  other  shell- 


92  WHALES. 

fish  were  to  be  had  in  quantities  for  the  gathering. 
A  description  of  one  or  two  excursions  will 
serve  to  convey  an  impression  of  the  scenery  of 
this  wild  and  beautiful  inlet  of  the  Atlantic,  and 
of  the  sayings  and  doings  connected  with  some  of 
our  little  cruises. 

One  day  we  resolved  that  we  would  go  down  to 
the  sea  in  our  little  ship  with  the  double  object 
of  fishing  for  flounders,  at  a  place  about  six  or 
seven  miles  off,  and  at  the  same  endeavour  to  get 
a  sight  of  a  small  whale,  which  it  was  reported 
had  entered  the  narrows,  and  was  occasionally  to 
be  seen  disporting  himself  in  the  bays  just  above 
them.  It  was  a  mere  baby  whale,  a  little  innocent 
under  a  dozen  feet  long. 

Many  years  before,  a  herd  or  schule  of  large 
whales  had  found  their  way  into  Little  Loch  Roag, 
and  been  driven  on  shore ;  but,  as  I  was  not  there 
to  see,  I  will  not  attempt  to  describe  the  scene 
as  it  was  reported  to  us,  but  refer  the  reader  to  a 
similar  one  narrated  by  Mr.  Hutchinson,  or  to  one 
still  better  known,  that  from  the  master-hand  of 
Scott  in  the  c  Pirate.' 

As  there  was  a  nice  and  favourable  breeze,  we 
hoisted  our  lug  for  a  run  down  the  loch,  and  made 


KENNETH'S  HOUSE.  93 

good  progress  with  the  tide  in  our  favour.  The 
village  of  Einacleit  on  the  other  side,  with  its 
little  tortuous  strips  of  cultivation  creeping  along 
rocks  and  heathery  places  like  so  many  gigantic 
caterpillars,  was  soon  reached  and  passed.  The 
first  objects  of  interest  on  our  right  were  some 
bold  crags,  in  the  crevices  of  which  honeysuckle 
and  other  stunted  plants  had  limited  root-hold. 
There  was  often  a  hawk  or  two  to  be  seen  above 
them,  and  one  day  we  watched  with  much  inter- 
est a  chase  right  across  the  loch  of  some  small 
bird  by  one  of  these  marauders.  After  various 
dodgings,  and  several  times,  as  we  thought,  being 
struck,  in  each  instance  eluding  its  enemy,  it  finally 
to  our  satisfaction  made  good  its  escape  among  the 
rocks  and  sea- weed  of  the  opposite  shore. 

Next  on  our  right  came  the  little  twin  islands 
of  Eilean  Dhu  (black  island)  and  Eilean  Glass 
(green  island),  arid  a  third  called  Eilean  Neil,  and 
nearly  opposite  the  few  scattered  huts  which  were 
known  as  Ungurshadr.  One  of  these  was  Kenneth's 
dwelling,  and  a  wild  and  picturesque  spot  it  was. 
Situated  on  a  little  promontory,  on  one  side  of 
which  a  burn  tumbled  into  the  loch,  it  overlooked 
the  narrows,  and  all  the  wild  din  and  turmoil  of 


94  4  THE  CRAP  THAT  NEVEE  FAILS.' 

the  race  of  waters  there,  as — bubbling  and 
seething,  and  rolling  in  miniature  whirlpools,  at 
times  unsafe  for  small  boats,  the  tide  forced  its 
way  into  the  contracted  gut  or  passage,  and 
rushed  headlong  in  or  out,  according  as  it  was 
flow  or  ebb. 

That  wildly -situated  cottage  was  well  stocked 
with  bairns.  Something  in  the  shape  of  laddie 
or  lassie  was  always  to  be  seen  hovering  about  as 
we  passed.  Ah !  if  all  the  crops  in  the  Lews 
turned  out  half  as  well  as  that,  the  Lews  man 
would  be  well-to-do. 

4  It's  a  crap  that  never  fails,'  said  an  old  Scotch 
lady  in  the  south  of  Scotland  to  a  relative  of  my 
own. 

Poor  Kenneth  had  indeed  many  mouths  to  feed, 
and  no  wonder  with  so  much  to  consider,  and  with 
the  somewhat  mournful  surroundings  of  his  home, 
he  was  a  grave  and  silent  man. 

The  whale  did  not  put  in  an  appearance,  and 
we  were  soon  in  the  race,  amidst  the  little 
bubbling  and  breaking  waves  outside  the  entrance 
to  the  narrows.  We  took  down  the  lug,  for  in 
the  narrows  the  wind  was  very  uncertain,  being 
caught  and  deflected  from  the  many  crags  and 


THE  NARROWS.  95 

eminences  by  which  it  was  girt.  Oars  were  got 
out  to  steady  the  boat  if  necessary,  and  then  we 
were  among  the  little  whirlpools.  Round  we 
slowly  spun,  as  a  great  swelling  roll  of  the  water 
somewhat  lifted  the  boat  and  took  us  into  the 
vortex,  all  the  time  rapidly  hurrying  us  forward. 
This  was  repeated  once  or  twice,  and  then  we  had 
passed  the  narrowest  part  at  the  entrance,  and 
swept  along  in  more  equable  fashion.  Stack 
Glass  (the  green  rock),  now  submerged  on  our 
right,  we  shot  past,  and  also  another  dangerous 
rock  on  the  left,  and  gliding  along  the  winding 
channel  by  pretty  broken  little  crags  on  our  right, 
with  a  sheltered  bay  or  two,  we  neared  Stack 
Alister  (Alexander's  rock).  This  was  so  called 
from  the  circumstance  of  one  Alister  having 
managed  to  get  his  boat  jammed  between  the  two 
points  which  formed  the  top  of  the  rock.  There 
he  had  to  remain  high  and  dry  aloft  till  the  rising 
tide  floated  him  off.  After  that  the  narrows 
opened  more,  and  the  pace  at  which  we  had  been 
hurried,  decreased. 

Many  birds  were  about  in  all  directions,  including 
some  specimens  of  the  great  northern  diver  we  had 
left  in  Little  Loch  Roag.  I  hardly  know  why, 


96  USELESS  SLAUGHTER  PROHIBITED. 

but  their  wild  and  somewhat  mournful  wail  often 
brings  to  my  mind  a  line  from  Lalla  Rookh,  l  Like 
some  lone  spirit  crushed  by  fate.' 

Herons  standing,  grey  and  still,  were  always  to 
be  seen,  till  roused  by  our  approach.  The  great 
black-backed  gull,  too,  was  far  more  plentiful  than 
desirable,  and  at  these  we  often  shot,  as  they  are 
vermin  of  the  worst  description.  Curlews  were 
there  in  plenty,  but  as  cute  and  wary  as  they  are 
elsewhere,  and  rarely  allowed  us  within  a  hundred 
yards. 

Beautiful  gulls  of  many  descriptions,  sometimes 
sitting  calmly  on  the  top  of  rocks  just  above  water- 
mark, shags,  comorants  or  scarts,  were  all  plentiful, 
arid,  as  we  got  farther  out,  guillemots  and  terns, 
sea-pies,  and  many  other  species  were  added,  and 
gave  grace  and  "beauty  to  the  scene — and,  above 
all,  the  Solan  goose.  We  loved  to  watch  him 
from  his  airy  height  close  his  wings  and  drop  like 
a  bolt  into  the  sea  in  search  of  his  prey.  We 
waged  no  war  with  these.  One  of  our  passengers 
would  have  been  much  grieved  had  it  been  other- 
wise. The  useless  slaughter  of  the  beautiful 
creatures  was  to  her  revolting,  so  we  only  occasion- 
ally tried  our  rifles.  A  scart  or  two  we  did 


THE  OLD  HILL.  97 

occasionally  kill,  for  the  men  considered  them  as 
very  eatable  when  skinned  and  properly  prepared. 
John  invited  us  to  try  this  delicacy  for  our  own 
table,  assuring  us  that  we  should  find  them  capital 
eating.  We,  however,  declined.  Like  the 
American  trapper,  when  questioned  as  to  his 
gastronomical  tastes  :  i  I  kin  eat  biled  crow,  but 
I  don't  hanker  arter  it.'  So  we  did  not  4  hanker 
arter '  cormorant,  roast  or  *  biled.' 

The  lug  was  re-hoisted  as  the  narrows  opened 
to  outer  Loch  Roag,  and  we  caught  a  glimpse 
through  the  nearer  islands  of  the  c  old  hill.'  This 
was  a  serrated  mass  of  rock  perhaps  half-a-mile 
long,  about  the  centre  of  Loch  Roag,  outside  its 
outer  margin,  and  about  eight  miles  from  whence 
we  viewed  it.  Rising  to  a  height,  I  believe,  of 
something  like  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet,  it  is 
fully  exposed  to  the  utmost  violence  of  the  rude 
Atlantic  storms,  and  is  probably  the  most  so  of 
all  the  spots  on  that  weather-beaten  coast.  Its 
fissured  sides  are  inaccessible,  and  I  think  there  is 
only  one  spot  where  a  landing  can  be  effected  in 
calm  weather.  It  is  said  that  in  winter  this  storm- 
lashed  island  presents  so  great  an  obstacle  to 
the  full  force  of  the  great  Atlantic  waves  that, 

H 


98  MIGHT  IS  RIGHT. 

bursting   on   it,  they   make   a   complete    breach 
over  it. 

Inland  of  it,  towards  the  outer  end  of  Bernera, 
are  two  other  islands,  which,  from  the  point  of 
view  we  had,  seemed  incorporated  with  it.  How 
different  their  appearance  now,  on  this  fine,  early 
autumn  day !  A  line  of  white  there  certainly 
was  at  their  base,  but  above  the  breaking  sea  the 
crags  rose  steeped  in  a  soft,  mellow  light,  as  if 
the  finest  of  diaphanous  yellow  gauzes  had  been 
hung  between  us  and  them.  History  records  that 
on  one  of  the  two  islands  referred  to  a  tragic 
event  took  place. 

Neil  Mac  Ruari,  the  last  remaining  natural 
son  of  the  great  Lews  chief,  Ruari  Macleod,  early 
in  the  seventeenth  century  had  expelled  a  colony 
of  Fife  gentlemen,  who,  by  purchase,  had  acquired 
from  the  Crown  certain  rights  in  the  Lews.  But 
in  those  days  every  man's  hand  seems  to  have 
been  against  his  neighbour's,  and  of  all  connected 
with  the  Lews  it  might  indeed  with  truth  be  said, 

'  For  why  ?     Because  the  good  old  rule 
Sufficeth  them,  the  simple  plan, 
That  they  should  take  who  have  the  power, 
And  they  should  keep  who  can.' 

The  power  to  retain  conferred  right. 


NEIL  MAC  RUAKI.  99 

Mackenzie  of  Kintail  acquired  such  rights  as 
the  Fife  colony  possessed,  which,  added  to  those 
he  professed  himself  to  hold,  he  determined  to 
enforce.  He  accordingly  landed,  with  a  com- 
mission of  fire  and  sword,  and  soon  over-ran  the 
country,  forcing  Neil  to  retire  to  his  stronghold 
of  Berissy,  which,  with  the  assistance  of  the  pirate 
Peter  Love,  he  had  fortified  with  guns.  By  a 
gross  act  of  treachery,  in  which  Peter's  affection 
for  Neil's  niece  forms  a  conspicuous  element, 
Neil  seized  his  friend  Peter,  his  ship,  and  his 
valuables,  and  delivered  up  the  former  to  justice, 
though  it  is  not  recorded  that  the  goods  followed 
the  pirate,  who,  with  his  crew,  was  hung  at  Leith. 
He  had  expected  pardon  for  himself  and  legiti- 
mate brother  Tormad  for  the  act,  but  it  was  not 
granted. 

Notwithstanding  all  the  efforts  of  the  Mac- 
kenzies,  Neil  held  out  in  his  stronghold,  apparent- 
ly in  allegiance  to  his  brother  Tormad,  who  was 
himself  in  durance  vile,  and  whom  he  considered 
the  rightful  heir.  The  Mackenzie  now  resorted 
to  a  stratagem  to  secure  the  person  of  Neil,  of 
which  the  most  ferocious  and  bloody  chief  of 
that,  or  any  other,  age  might  well  be  proud. 

H2 


100  A  CRUEL  DEVICE. 

They  seized  all  the  women  and  children  belong- 
ing to  Neil  and  his  followers  on  the  mainland, 
and  exposed  them  on  a  rock,  bare  at  the  ebb 
but  submerged  at  high  tide,  opposite  Berissy. 
It  was  then  notified  to  Neil,  if  he  did  not  sur- 
render, they  would  be  left  to  be  engulfed  by  the 
inflowing  tide. 

The  lamentations  of  these  poor  creatures  as 
the  tide  rose  produced  the  desired  effect,  and, 
to  save  them,  Neil  and  his  company,  ruthless 
though  they  were,  delivered  up  their  stronghold. 
Neil  retired  to  Harris,  but  this  desperate  and  law- 
less chief  was  eventually  hung  at  Leith,  in  1613. 

I  have  derived  these  interesting  details  (some- 
what abbreviated  from  the  text)  from  Mr.  Ander- 
son Smith's  excellent  little  work  'Lewsiana,'  to 
which  I  have  previously  referred.  Should  he 
ever  see  this,  I  beg  to  tender  him  my  thanks, 
and,  if  necessary,  my  apologies,  for  so  freely 
adopting  what  adds  no  small  interest  to  the 
islands  of  Loch  Roag. 

But  to  return  from  history  to  our  cruise. 
Rounding  the  point,  which  formed  the  outer 
limit  of  the  narrows,  we  passed  between  it  and 
the  pretty,  heathery  little  island  of  Garavelein, 


BLACK  SHEEP  AND  SEALS.          101 

and  then  opened  Loch  Strome,  a  deep  bay  or 
indentation  on  the  mainland.  On  one  of  the 
green-topped  islets  which  stretched  across  a  por- 
tion of  its  mouth  was  one  solitary  black  sheep, 
not  sent  to  solitary  confinement  for  any  mis- 
demeanour, such  as  his  colour  might  indicate, 
but  because  the  green  knoll  which  rose  from 
the  sea-weed  could  not  support  more  than  one, 
black  or  white.  A  little,  wild  Highland  Lews 
sheep  had  need  to  be  possessed  of  a  strong  diges- 
tion ;  but  rock  and  seaweed  afford  but  poor 
provender  even  for  him.  Seals  were  often  to 
be  seen  in  and  about  Strome  Bay,  but  they 
were  very  wary,  and  I  think  I  only  once  got 
a  long  shot  at  one,  when  he  was  swimming. 
By  the  turmoil  he  made  in  the  water,  we  thought 
he  was  hit,  but  we  saw  nothing  more  of  the 
poor  beast.  Another  point,  and  another  deep 
bay — Drovenish  Bay — were  soon  passed,  and, 
while  we  were  thus  quietly  and  comfortably  sail- 
ing to  our  destination,  the  talk  fell  on  whales, 
and  we  elicited  from  John  one  or  two  stories 
respecting  them,  which  I  think  are  worth  repeat- 
ing. I  give  them  in  his  own  concise  and  racy 
language,  as  he  has  since  sent  them  to  me. 


102  STORY  OF  A  WHALE. 

'  You  see,  Mistress  N.,' — for  he  addressed  him- 
self to  my  wife. — '  as  the  story  goes,  a  big  whale 
came  on  the  sand  at  low  water  on  the  north  end 
of  the  island  of  Bernera,  and  the  man  that  found 
her  he  commenced  to  cut  her  blubber  off  to  get 
a  good  share  before  his  neighbours  would  know 
of  it.  He  commenced  to  cut  the  blubber  from 
the  back  of  the  whale,  himself  being  on  the  back 
of  the  whale  at  the  time,  and,  being  hot  at  work, 
never  knew  life  in  the  whale  till  he  found  whale 
and  himself  afloat  out  of  his  depth,  and,  being 
not  a  swimmer,  he  fixed  the  cleaver  in  to  the 
handle  in  the  whale's  blubber,  and  held  fast  to 
the  cleaver  till  the  whale  went  round  the  island 
and  turned  to  the  same  sand  she  left  with  the 
man.  The  whale  could  riot  go  under,  owing  to 
the  blubber  being  cut  from  part  of  her  back,  the 
reason  that  she  could  not  go  under  water.' 

On  expressing  some  little  mild  astonishment  at 
this  unequalled  feat  of — sea-horsemanship,  I  was 
going  to  say,  John  appealed  to  the  men. 

' It's  truth  I'm  speaking,  sir,'  he  said.  'It's 
weel  kent  here  aboot.  Is  it  no,  lads  ?' 

'Ou,  ay!'  responded  the  lads.  'It's  true 
eneuch.' 


A  DIVE  WITH  A  WHALE.  103 

We  asked  for  more,  and,  after  interchange  of  a 
few  rapid  Gaelic  sentences  with  '  the  lads/  John 
gave  us  the  following : 

1  It  was  in  the  sound  between  Harris  and  Skye. 
This  was  not  the  same  sort  of  whale  as  the  one 
in  Bernera.  This  sort  had  a  fin  on  the  back  like 
the  sail  of  a  boat.  The  Gaelic  name  on  this  sort 
is  "  Cearban,"  and  the  man  that  went  down  with 
this  was  ever  after  that  called  "  Cearban,"  so  the 
name  follows  his  generation  yet.  The  whale, 
as  history  says,  was  asleep  on  the  top  of  the 
water.  The  boat  went  close  to  harpoon  her,  and 
in  the  act  of  harpooning  the  man  had  not  time 
to  loose  his  hold,  and  down  he  went  to  the  bot- 
tom. Next  instant  the  whale  came  up  with  the 
man  on  the  top  of  the  harpoon,  and  remained 
motionless,  till  those  in  the  boat  got  hold  of  the 
man,  and  he  was  saved.' 

These,  we  all  agreed,  were  two  remarkable 
escapes,  both  firmly  believed  in  by  the  men. 
Those  that  go  down  to  the  sea  in  ships  and 
occupy  their  business  in  great  waters  see  many 
strange  things  and  hear  of  more,  and  no  doubt 
many  a  seemingly  improbable  but  true  tale  could 
be  told  by  the  fishermen  on  these  wild  coasts. 


104  BREEDING-PLACES  OF  GULLS. 

Looking  out  away  through  the  channel  between 
the  island  of  Wia  Vohr  (it  sounded  like  that,  but 
there  are  no  W.'s  or  V.'s  in  Gaelic,  and  I  believe 
it  is  spelt  Bheaoudha  Mohr),  and  the  promontory 
of  Reef,  we  sighted  a  small  island  which  was  noted 
as  a  prolific  breeding-place  of  some  of  the  gulls 
and  guillemots.  John  described  it  to  us,  for  he 
had  recently  visited  it  to  procure  some  eggs  for 
our  collection. 

c  In  May,'  he  said,  '  the  flowers  were  so  sweet 
that  you  could  feel  the  flavour  of  them  half-a- 
mile  off,'  and  when  approached  the  sea-birds  rose 
in  such  numbers  as  '  fairly  took  the  sky  from 
you.' 

This  island,  4  Flodaedh,'  I  think,  and  <  Pabhay,' 
were  great  breeding-places.  Geese  too,  of  which 
we  often  saw  a  c  gaggle,'  or  flock,  bred  on  Wia 
Vohr. 

We  were  now  approaching  the  extremity  of 
that  island,  having  left  small  islands  on  either 
hand  since  we  cleared  Drovenish  Bay.  Running 
along  the  shore,  we  passed  between  the  knobs  at 
its  extremity  and  a  bad  rock,  just  awash,  and, 
emerging  into  the  narrow  channel  between  it  and 
Bernera,  anchored  in  it  just  behind  a  low  green 


FLOUNDER-FISHING.  105 

islet.  Here  we  got  out  the  hand-lines  and  leads, 
and  set  to  work  fishing  on  a  clean  sandbank, 
which  we  could  see  in  the  clear  water  some 
fathoms  below  our  keel. 

John  Mackenzie  acted  as  the  lady's  hench- 
man on  this  occasion,  and  baited  her  hooks 
with  that  portion  of  the  mussel  used  for  this 
purpose.  As  a  convenient  receptacle,  he  kept  a 
small  store  of  them  in  his  mouth,  ready  for 
use.  Whether  or  no  he  imparted  to  them  an 
attractive  scent  or  flavour — and  he  was  very 
fond  of  a  plug  of  pigtail — I  do  not  know,  but  the 
1  leddy '  caught  as  many  fish  as  all  the  rest  of  us 
put  together.  An  excellent  baitsman  was  John 
Mackenzie.  He  did  not  trouble  himself  to 
throw  away  the  remnants  of  the  bait  left  on  the 
hook  when  fresh  was  put  on,  but  ate  them.  It 
was  i  ferry  goot,'  like  many  other  things  with 
him,  especially,  just  now,  a  particular  sort  of 
sea-weed  which  he  had  found,  and  which  he 
crammed  into  his  mouth,  when  relieved  of  its 
duties  as  a  receptacle  for  bait,  by  the  handful. 
It  is,  I  believe,  the  '  dulsh '  of  elsewhere. 

A  splendid  lot  of  flounders  we  obtained,  some 
running  large.  Occasionally  we — especially  the 


106  RETURN  JOURNEY. 

4  leddy ' — had  two  on  at  a  time.  John  Mackenzie 
cut  a  bit  off  the  tail  of  each  capture  made  by 
the  '  leddy,'  so  that  no  mistake  should  be  made. 
A  small  cuttle-fish  or  octopus  was  secured  by  my 
brother,  and  this  we  kept  for  examination,  for 
we  often  bore  home  curiosities,  marine  and 
floral,  from  our  excursions,  and  derived  no  little 
amusement  at  times  from  watching  the  habits 
of  some  of  the  former.  Of  these  some  mention 
will  be  made  farther  on. 

On  one  occasion  Kenneth,  who  was  also  fish- 
ing, struck  hard  at  a  good  tug,  and  brought 
up  his  iron  minus  the  hook.  This  was  imme- 
diately succeeded  by  my  wife  also  getting  a  good 
tug.  She  hauled  in,  and  John  Mackenzie  lifted 
over  a  large  flounder  with  Kenneth's  hook  in  it. 

After  capturing  in  all  some  fifty  flounders, 
and  a  good  few  codlings,  we  found  it  was  time  to 
return.  I  may  say  that  on  no  other  occasion  did 
we  catch  so  many.  The  ground  became  used  up, 
I  suppose,  for  the  long-line  fishermen  resorted  to 
it  for  bait,  and  no  other  place  we  tried  afforded 
nearly  such  good  sport. 

Our  long  oars,  or  sweeps,  had  to  be  brought 
into  use  going  home,  as  the  wind  failed  us,  or 


THE  RIVAL  WITCHES.  107 

was  adverse,  but  we  made  our  way  safely  back 
through  the  narrows  with  the  flowing  tide.  As 
we  passed  along,  John  called  our  attention  to  a 
large  boulder  which  lay  on  the  shore  of  the 
lower  part  of  the  narrows.  He  told  us  that  the 
legend  attached  to  it  was,  that  it  was  cast  there 
by  the  giantess,  or  witch,  or  spirit  of  Ben 
Drovenish,  the  high,  round  hill  which  rose 
behind  Drovenish  Bay.  Enmity  had  existed 
between  the  witch  of  Ben  Drovenish  and  her 
sister,  the  witch  of  Suainaval,  the  high,  big  hill  on 
the  opposite  shore.  These  amiable  ladies  were 
in  the  habit  of  pelting  each  other  with  fragments 
of  rock  torn  from  their  own  rugged  fastnesses. 
Some  of  these  fell  short,  and  were  to  be  found 
in  various  positions  between  the  two  hills ;  that 
to  which  our  attention  was  directed  being  one 
of  these. 

My  brother  had  with  him  a  book  which  en- 
tered deeply  into  the  subject  of  fairies,  trolls, 
witches,  and  their  congeners.  This  he  was 
in  the  habit  of  reading  to  us  sometimes  in  our 
expeditions,  but  the  men  looked  grave  and  some- 
what uneasy  when  these  uncanny  folk  formed  the 
subject  of  our  conversation. 


108  DEATH  OF  THE  BABY  WHALE. 

Once  through  the  narrows,  we  looked  out  for 
our  interesting  young  stranger,  and  shortly  sighted 
him  in  a  bay  just  above  Kenneth's  house.  We 
hurried  forward,  and  several  times  he  showed  on 
the  surface  ;  then,  possibly  alarmed  at  our  boat, 
dashed  off  up  the  loch.  He  went  at  a  tremendous 
pace,  for  in  a  very  short  time  he  showed  again  a 
long  way  off,  and  so  on  several  times,  thus 
indicating  his  route.  We  followed,  and  soon 
reached  the  lodge. 

Alas !  poor  innocent !  a  few  days  after  he  was 
discovered,  stranded  and  dead,  among  the  rocks 
just  inside  the  narrows.  I  think  he  was  only 
about  nine  or  ten  feet  long,  but  afforded  a 
considerable  amount  of  blubber  to  the  fortunate 
finder.  His  whereabouts  became  unpleasantly 
notorious  after  a  while,  and  we  had  to  hurry  past 
the  spot  when  on  our  way  outside. 

Many  such  excursions  as  that  above  recorded 
we  made,  but  it  is  unnecessary  again  to  traverse 
in  detail  the  route  followed,  so  I  will  only 
refer  to  some  of  the  points  visited  in  another 
chapter. 


109 


CHAPTER  VII. 

OTHER     EXCURSIONS. 

THE  SANDY  BAY  OF  REEF — COLLECTING  CATTLE  FOR  A  SWIM  TO  WINTER 
QUARTERS — PABHAY — OBSTREPEROUS  BEHAVIOUR  OF  A  CURLEW — 
FINE  VIEW  OF  GALLON  HEAD — RABBIT-SHOOTING  IN  LITTLE  BERNERA 
— DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  SCENERY — ISLAND  CEMETERY — UIG — ADDERS 
— MARINE  CURIOSITIES  —  CONGERS  —  CUDDIES  —  FINLAY'S  OTTER 
STORY. 

THE  promontory  of  Reef  was  a  place  we  frequently 
resorted  to.  It  was  distant  from  the  lodge  about 
six  miles,  and  was  opposite  that  extremity  of  the 
island  of  Wia  Vohr,  at  the  end  farthest  from  the 
flounder  fishing-ground.  On  the  other  side  of 
the  promontory  there  was  a  bay  of  the  most 
beautiful  light-coloured  sand,  which  made  a  bold 
sweep  of  nearly  a  mile  in  length.  Here  were  to 
be  found  the  most  exquisite-tinted  little  bivalve 
shells  of  various  colours,  I  believe  of  the  order 
4  Patella.'  Leaving  the  lodge  to  take  care  of 
itself,  we  occasionally  took  our  servants  there  for 
a  picnic. 


110  A  WILD  SCENE. 

A  very  curious  and  interesting  scene  we  once 
witnessed  there  when  sailing  into  the  bay  from 
the  island  of  Yacsey.  This  latter  island  affords 
fine  wintering  for  cattle,  besides  being  possessed 
of  a  very  safe  little  land-locked  inlet,  where,  I 
believe,  the  winter  fishermen  harbour  their 
boats. 

On  the  occasion  referred  to,  the  farmer  was 
collecting  his  wild  little  cattle  for  transmission  to 
their  winter  quarters.  He,  together  with  several 
shepherds,  and  a  number  of  colleys  and  cattle  of 
various  hues,  were  all  collected  and  lying  about 
in  picturesque  attitudes  on  the  usually  quiet  and 
almost  deserted  point.  At  first  we  hardly  knew 
what  they  were  doing,  so  quiet  and  still  were 
they ;  but  all  suddenly  started  into  active  life,  as 
a  boat  was  seen  to  be  doubling  the  point.  In  the 
briefest  of  space,  men,  cattle,  and  colleys  seemed 
to  be  all  mixed  up  amid  the  wildest  shouting, 
barking,  and  lowing.  Ever  and  anon  a  wild 
young  bullock  would  start  away  with  dogs  in 
vigorous  pursuit  till  they  headed  and  turned  him 
back.  We  especially  noticed  one  wild  thing  of  a 
dun  colour  which  evinced  a  steady  determination 
not  to  be  herded  with  its  fellows,  and  which 


;  lil 


COLLECTING  CATTLE  FOR  A  SWIM.      Ill 

repeatedly  broke  away  in  spite  of  all  efforts  to 
restrain  it.  Out  from  the  scramble,  however,  one 
by  one,  a  bullock  would  appear  with  men  cling- 
ing to  it,  and  by  main  force  was  shoved  and 
dragged  over  the  rocks  till  he  stood  belly  deep  in 
the  sea.  The  rope  which  was  fastened  round  his 
horns  would  now  be  flung  to  a  man  sitting  in  the 
stern  of  a  largish  boat  moored  just  off  the  shore, 
and  be  made  secure  by  him.  One  thus  followed 
another  amidst  the  wildest  din,  till  a  sufficient 
number — four,  I  think, — were  collected.  The 
men  then  sprang  on  board,  as  many  as  could  find 
room  took  their  places  in  the  stern,  each  holding 
on  to  one  or  more  ropes,  and  keeping  the  heads 
of  the  cattle  above  water.  The  sail  was  hoisted, 
and,  with  a  fresh  breeze,  the  boat  was  soon  under 
weigh  and  standing  across  the  channel,  here 
more  than  half-a-mile  broad,  to  Vacsey,  dragging 
the  cattle  attached  after  it. 

At  the  first  start  there  was  some  splashing  and 
struggling,  and  heads  went  under ;  but  they  soon 
settled  down,  and  were  towed  rapidly  across. 
We  saw  them  landed,  and  make  their  way  over 
the  rocks  to  the  c  green  fields  and  pastures  new,' 
apparently  none  the  worse  for  their  enforced 


112  VISIT  TO  PABHAY. 

swirn,  but  well  pleased  with  their  new  quarters. 
It  was  a  wild  and  truly  Highland  scene, 
full  of  life,  and  movement,  and  noise,  wild- 
ly picturesque  both  in  the  actors  and  their 
surroundings. 

Beyond  the  sandy  bay  of  Reef,  and  forming  the 
outer  island  on  the  Gallon  Head  side  of  Loch 
Roag,  was  Pabhay.  It  was  a  longish  sail  or  pull 
from  the  lodge,  and  we  only  visited  it  once,  sail- 
ing to  the  outer  extremity,  and  having  to  pull  all 
the  way  back  as  the  wind  fell. 

We  landed  in  a  nice  little  cove,  and  at  once 
went  to  see  a  large  cave,  utilised  at  times,  we 
understood,  by  fishermen  from  a  distance.  On 
one  side  was  a  little  bay,  the  entrance  of  which 
had  been  roughly  built-up,  and  formed  a  large 
lobster-pond,  in  which  lobsters  taken  in  the 
creels  were  placed  till  required  for  exportation. 

Close  to  the  mouth  of  the  cave,  a  little  inlet 
washed  a  very  pebbly  shore.  The  entrance  to 
this  inlet  from  the  sea  was  under  a  roof  composed 
of  a  jagged,  serrated  mass  of  rock  which  depended 
from  the  ground  above,  forming  a  natural  bridge 
from  twenty  to  thirty  feet  thick.  The  sea  under- 
neath was  of  the  deepest  green,  and,  looking  out 


THE  FLANNEN  ISLANDS.  113 

from  under  the  jagged  roof,  the  open  sea  lay  calm 
and  blue  on  that  fair  day. 

There  are  other  caves  farther  down  the  island, 
but  these  we  had  not  time  to  visit. 

A  curlew  behaved  in  a  most  obstreperous  man- 
ner, and  so  resented  our  intrusion  on  its  domains 
as  to  make  swoops  in  pretty  close  vicinity  to  our 
heads,  crying  shrilly  all  the  time,  It  can  hardly 
have  had  a  nest,  as  the  month  was  September, 
but  in  no  other  way  could  we  account  for  its 
boldness  and  absence  of  all  wariness,  so  contrary 
to  the  bird's  nature.  However,  that  may  have 
been  the  cause,  for  nature  is  not  quite  regular 
there  in  some  respects,  as  we  found  primroses 
fully  blown  on  this  occasion. 

We  had  a  fine  view  of  Gallon  Head  from  an 
elevated  point  at  the  end  of  the  island,  and,  away 
beyond,  of  the  seven  hunters  or  Flannen  Islands. 
Rare  places  for  sea-birds'  eggs  are  those  wild, 
wind-swept  islands  out  in  the  great  Atlantic,  but 
very  difficult  of  access.  Our  friend  at  Morsgail 
made,  I  believe,  several  attempts  to  get  there. 
He  was  a  naturalist  as  well  as  a  sportsman, 
and  came  up  in  the  spring  with  the  object  of 
visiting  these  and  other  islands.  I  believe  he 


114  TRIP  TO  BERNERA. 

succeeded  in  landing,  but  not  on  every  occasion. 

The  northern  end  of  the  island  of  Bernera, 
which  is  about  seven  miles  long,  and,  as  I  have 
explained,  divides  Loch  Roag  into  two  parts,  was 
the  object  of  one  of  our  excursions.  Situated 
in  a  little  rocky  glen,  overlooking  the  narrow 
sound  which  separates  Bernera  from  the  beautiful 
island  of  Little  Bernera — tenanted  only  by  the 
dead,  arid  numbers  of  rabbits — lies  the  secluded 
but  considerable  farm-house  of  Bostadh. 

The  widow  of  one  of  the  '  estate  '  officers  had 
her  residence  here,  along  with  a  son  and  daugh- 
ter, and  she  kindly  placed  two  or  three  rooms  at 
our  disposal,  for  we  intended  to  spend  a  couple  of" 
nights  there,  see  the  beauties  of  the  place,  and 
have  a  crack  at  the  rabbits ;  it  being  too  far  to 
come  and  go  in  one  day — for  me,  at  any  rate. 

The  morning  had  been  wild  and  stormy,  but  it 
cleared  up  about  eleven,  and  we  determined  to 
carry  our  intentions  into  effect.  Instead,  how- 
ever, of  running  along  the  west  coast  of  Bernera 
and  so  in  by  the  sound  at  that  end,  we  more 
prudently  decided  to  double  the  south  end  of  the 
island  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  standing- 
stones  of  Callarnish,  and  run  up  by  the  east 


RESIDENCE  OF  PRINCESS  OF  THULE.      115 

side,  as  it  was  more  protected,  though  a  little 
longer  distance.  In  all  it  was  a  water-journey  of 
about  thirteen  miles,  which  we  satisfactorily 
completed  in  time  for  me  to  drop  the  impedi- 
menta at  the  farm-house,  cross  over,  and  get  a 
few  rabbits  the  same  afternoon. 

Our  beds,  in  recesses  in  the  wall,  were  primi- 
tive, the  wall-paper  singular  and  interesting, 
being  composed  of  newspapers,  old  posters  (some 
in  Gaelic),  sale-bills,  &c.,  and  there  was  an  ac- 
cumulation of  what  Lord  Palmerston  (I  think  it 
was)  has  so  well  defined  as  '  matter  in  the  wrong 
place.'  But  we  met  with  a  kindly  welcome,  and 
that  atoned  for  what  need  not  be  dwelt  on.  We 
had  our  own  cooked  provisions,  and  the  bed- 
linen  and  blankets  were  clean  and  '  unoccupied.' 

The  next  day  we  all,  including  servants,  crossed 
over  the  narrow  sound,  and  turned  loose  on  the 
island  for  the  day,  fortunately  a  beautiful  one. 
I  think  Mr.  Black  must  have  had  this  spot  in 
his  mind's  eye  when  he  located  the  beautiful 
Sheila,  the  Princess  of  Thule,  and  her  father  on 
the  island  of  Barva,  and  added,  of  course,  what 
was  necessary  to  her  surroundings.  Wild  roses 
and  honeysuckle  were  gathered  in  the  little  glen 

i2 


116  THE  BURIAL-GROUND. 

behind  the  house,  and  the  lovely  Little  Bernera 
was,  in  many  parts,  bespangled  with  wild  flowers 
of  various  descriptions.  We  found  the  elicampane 
there. 

No  inappropriate  spot  was  this  which  the  rude, 
untutored  dwellers  on  the  wild  neighbouring 
shore  had  from  time  immemorial  selected  as  the 
last  resting-place  for  their  dead.  The  place  of 
burial  was  a  sandy  tract  overlooking  the  sound, 
and  it  may  be  that  the  nature  of  the  soil, 
easily  worked,  or  its  dry  ness,  so  different  from 
the  peat,  had  as  much  to  do  with  its  choice  for 
a  cemetery  as  the  beauty  of  the  situation.  Very 
difficult  of  access,  though,  it  must  be  in  wild 
weather,  and  burials  sometimes  unduly  postponed. 
No  care  seems  to  be  taken  of  the  place,  and  the 
rough  stones,  raised  by  some  sorrowing  relative, 
lie  about  in  all  directions  or  smothered  in  sand. 

1  Some  inute,  inglorious  Milton  here  may  rest/ 

or  the  chief  of  a  clan,  but,  equally  with  the 
humblest  fisher  lad,  the  particular  spot  which 
holds  his  remains  will  be  sought  in  vain  after  a 
short  time.  Mr.  Anderson  Smith  refers  to  a 
chapel  of  £  black  ladies '  or  nuns,  which  at  one 


RABBIT-SHOOTING.  117 

time  occupied  a  site  on  Little  Bernera.     I  was 
not  aware  of  this  at  the  time  of  rny  visit. 

The  breaking  sea  and  the  sea-birds'  cries  made 
Nature's  wild  melody  over  the  unrecorded  dead ; 
rabbits  gambolled  about  the  uncared-for  graves, 
and  nettles  and  other  high  weeds  spread  luxuriant 
growth  around,  but  the  sorrow  of  the  loving, 
genuine  though  it  be,  is  productive  of  no  visible 
interest  in  the  sepulchres  of  those  they  loved. 

I  confined  my  investigations  of  the  land  to  the 
eastern  portion  of  the  island,  and  principally  of 
the  sandy  promontory  in  that  direction,  for  here 
the  rabbit-burrows  were  most  plentiful,  and  easily 
worked  with  ferrets.  A  good  many  lie  out  in 
the  grass  and  among  the  flowers,  but  there  were 
not  nearly  so  many  as  I  expected.  I  had  been 
told  of  '  thousands,'  but  from  evident  signs  I 
conjectured  they  were  pretty  well  kept  down  by 
the  neighbouring  keepers  and  others.  However, 
I  did  fairly  well,  and,  in  all,  got  fourteen  couples. 
My  brother  was  not  with  us,  as  he  had  not  yet 
arrived  north. 

While  I  was  thus  employed,  my  wife  sauntered 
away  through  the  island  till  she  reached  the 
farther  shore,  and  I  transcribe  her  account  from 


118  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  SCENERY. 

an  old  letter  to  a  friend,  which  has  been  placed 
at  my  disposal. 

'The  island  and  its  surroundings  are  beautiful, 
open  to  the  Atlantic  on  one  side,  which  has,  in 
places,  washed  it  into  lovely  little  sandy  bays, 
and  in  others  torn  the  rocky  sides  into  caves  and 
chasms.  The  island  lies  at  the  very  entrance  to 
Loch  Roag,  the  rocky,  storm-beaten  point  of 
Carloway  being  to  the  right,  and  the  other  point, 
Gallon  Head,  to  the  left.  Somewhat  to  the  left, 
too,  lies  a  high,  rocky  islet,  "The  Old  Hill,"  a 
great  pet  of  mine.  One  sees  it  from  almost  every 
high  hill.  Such  a  beauty  it  is,  seen  in  the  dis- 
tance ;  so  grand  and  yet  so  soft.  It  always 
seems  wrapped  in  some  soft  haze  of  colour.  I 
have  always  longed  to  sail  out  to  it,  but  J. 
would  not  allow  it.  At  Little  Bern  era  I  went  to 
the  nearest  point  to  it,  and  stood  on  the  highest 
crag  of  the  island,  and  gazed  my  fill  at  it  ....  I 
wish  I  could  describe  all  the  wildness ;  no  one 
but  myself  visible,  only  gulls  screaming  and 
scolding.  Huge  detached  rocks  at  a  little  dis- 
tance, with  the  Atlantic  waves  dashing  against 
them,  and  covering  their  rugged  sides  with  snowy 
foam ;  then  the  distant  hills  of  Uig,  looking  so 


TRIP  TO  UIG.  119 

grim  in  the  evening  light.  The  island  itself  just 
here  is  covered  with  short,  soft  turf,  and,  in  a 
hollow  at  a  little  distance,  lies  a  small  loch,  with 
reeds  and  a  few  water-lilies.  I  might  go  on  for 
pages,  and  not  tell  all.' 

I  do  not  think  I  can  add  to  this  true  and 
heartfelt  description. 

On  the  following  day  we  returned  with  a  brisk 
breeze  blowing,  a  side  wind  which  made  some  of 
the  party  uncomfortable.  After  rounding  the 
southern  extremity  of  Bernera,  we  had  to  take  to 
the  oars,  as  it  was  dead  ahead. 

During  the  first  two  years  of  our  tenancy,  the 
shootings  of  tUig  were  unlet,  and  in  consequence 
we  had  permission  to  fish  the  loch  of  Croistan,  of 
which  I  shall  speak  hereafter  in  a  chapter  on 
fishing,  and  also  to  pay  a  visit  to  Uig,  taking  up 
our  residence  for  two  or  three  days  in  the  fine 
lodge  there. 

A  sail  of  about  six  miles  landed  us  at  Meavaig, 
and  thence  we  proceeded  by  a  beautiful  pass 
through  high  cliffs  till  we  attained  the  open 
ground  above  the  lovely  sands  of  Uig  and  the 
rugged  indented  outline  of  the  outer  bay. 

The    lodge    overlooks    this,    arid    the    salmon 


120  EXCELLENT  MUSHROOMS. 

stream,  which,  flowing  below,  wanders  away 
through  the  whitey  yellow  sand.  The  lodge  is  new 
and  commodious,  and  suitable  for  the  accommo- 
dation of  a  considerable  party  and  establishment. 

I  have  a  grateful  recollection  of  the  excellent 
mushrooms  we  found  on  the  green  slopes  around 
the  lodge.  Happily  for  us,  these  had  remained 
unpicked,  for  the  Gaelic  stomach,  so  delighting  in 
full-flavoured  meats,  has  no  appetite  for  what,  to 
the  Sassenach,  is  such  a  delicacy. 

This  is  probably  the  most  picturesque  part  of 
the  Lews.  The  hills,  rising  to  some  fifteen  hundred 
feet,  are  very  rugged,  covered  with  rocky  knobs 
and  massive  crags  breaking  through  the  grass  and 
heather,  looking  thoroughly  storm-worn.  But  it 
is  a  fine  shooting  for  deer,  and  is  said  to  be  good  for 
about  five-and-twenty  stags,  besides  some  hinds. 

The  year  following,  it  was  taken  by  some 
acquaintances  of  my  own,  and  I  think  the  gentle- 
men of  the  party  accounted  for  about  that  num- 
ber. But  it  is  only  those  who  care  for  sport  and 
wild  scenery,  and  are  able  to  exist  contentedly 
without  the  society  of  other  than  their  own  party 
affords,  to  whom  it  would  prove  attractive,  for  it 
is  very  remote. 


ADDERS  AND  ANTIDOTES.  121 

The  salmon  fishing  is  fair  and  sea-trout  are 
very  plentiful  at  times,  the  river  which  flows 
below  the  lodge  giving  easy  access  to  a  fine  loch, 
girt  with  rocky  hills  and  crags,  arid  on  it  are 
boats  for  the  use  of  the  lodge. 

Rather  more  than  a  mile,  in  the  midst  of  the 
moor  behind  the  lodge,  is  a  rocky  gully  which 
contains  a  cave,  formerly  the  haunt  of  some 
desperado  who  was  said  to  have  successfully 
defended  himself  in  its  narrow  entrance  against 
the  attacks  of  a  large  body  of  men  armed  in  those 
days  with  broadswords  only.  Names  and  dates 
were  not  forthcoming,  only  the  main  facts  as 
handed  down  by  tradition. 

There  were  other  present  occupants  of  the 
moor  with  whom  we  formed  a  more  intimate 
acquaintance. 

We  saw  several  adders,  and  killed  one  or  two. 
My  English  lad  wished  to  strike  one  with  the  iron 
hook  attached  to  the  carrying-strap  of  one  of  the 
gillies.  The  latter  objected,  however,  declaring 
that  he  would  not  use  it  again  if  so  employed,  as 
it  was  impossible  to  say  what  poison  might  be 
absorbed  by  it  and  communicated  to  him. 

A  soup  made  of  the  adder  which  has  bitten  a 


122  OBJECTS  OF  THE  SEA-SHORE. 

man,  and  taken  internally,  is  said  by  them  to  be  a 
remedy.  Of  the  serpent  stone — a  round  stone  with 
a  hole  in  it — of  which  Mr.  Anderson  Smith  speaks, 
I  have  no  personal  experience,  but  no  doubt  it  is 
as  efficacious  as  the  soup.  Adder  fat  is  a  specific 
in  Devon,  and  Miss  Gordon  Gumming  says  that 
the  head  of  an  adder  tied  to  a  string  and  dipped  in 
water  is  also  considered  one. 

We  spent  very  pleasantly  two  or  three  days 
at  Uig,  and  returned,  as  we  had  come,  by  boat 
from  Meavaig  in  preference  to  driving  all  the  way, 
a  distance  by  land  of  about  twelve  miles. 

Many  such  excursions  we  made  by  boat  to 
various  points  outside  the  narrows ;  but  those  I 
have  described  will  serve  to  indicate  the  nature 
of  the  island  coast  and  sea  in  and  about  Loch 
Roag. 

The  narrows  themselves  were  the  object  of 
many  trips,  for,  besides  seals  and  sea-birds,  here 
were  to  be  found  many  of  those  *  common  objects 
of  the  sea-shore'  which  are  so  interesting  to 
observe  in  their  native  haunts. 

About  half-way  through  was  a  spot  under  some 
li  ttle  rugged  crags,  wh ere  we  often  anchored,  for  here 
was  a  veritable  marine  aquarium.  One  at  least  of 


SEA  TREASURES.  123 

us  was  never  wearied  of  peering  down  into  those 
clear  depths  in  search  of  the  hidden  treasures 
of  the  sea,  or  examining  the  shore  for  those  left 
exposed  by  the  subsidence  of  the  tide. 

On  the  faces  of  the  rocks,  from  low  tide-mark 
to  some  three  or  four  feet  above,  depended  in  all 
directions  flabby  and  not  very  inviting-looking 
masses  of  dull-coloured  fleshy  substances.  Im- 
mediately below  the  surface  these  same  shapeless 
things  became  transformed,  as  if  touched  by  a 
fairy's  wand,  into  the  most  gracefully-shaped  and 
beautifully-coloured  objects.  From  palest  pink 
to  deepest  red,  from  faintest  yellow  to  brightest 
orange,  interspersed  with  exquisite  shades  of 
lavender  and  purest  white,  waved  these  lovely 
beds  of  sea-anemones. 

As  far  down  as  the  eye  could  trace,  on  every 
stone  andfragment  of  disjointed  rock,  they  revealed 
their  beauty  in  crowded  masses.  And  iu  their 
close  vicinity  long  waving  bands  of  sea-weed, 
giving  to  every  movement  of  the  tide,  held,  at- 
tached to  their  pendicles,  shells  of  various  kinds 
and  colours.  Star-fish  of  different  orders,  from 
the  common  five-fingered,  to  the  beautiful  sun- 
star  and  the  bright  red  thread-like  brittle  star- 


124  HERMIT-CRAB  AND  JELLY-FISH. 

fish,  adorned  the  depths ;  while,  farther  out,  sea- 
urchins,  as  varied  in  size  as  colour,  gave  added 
interest  to  the  explorer's  investigations. 

We  foraged  here  for  specimens  to  take  home 
and  be  examined  at  leisure.  Hermit  crabs  in 
their  stolen  homes  afforded  us  great  amusement, 
especially  one  little  fellow  who  appeared  to  become 
tame,  and  made  his  appearance  outside  his  cell, 
whenever  a  smart  rap  was  given  to  the  basin  in 
which  he  was  located. 

Notably,  too,  on  one  occasion,  what  apparently 
was  a  bubble  on  the  surface  of  the  water  sprang, 
as  if  by  magic,  into  life.  Assuming  the  form  of  a 
tiny  basket  with  a  handle,  it  quickly  threw  out  a 
series  of  little  legs,  and  the  bubble  developed  into 
an  active  little  jelly-fish,  which  we  afterwards 
ascertained  was  one  of  the  Medusae. 

Very  wonderful  and  interesting  it  was  to 
observe  the  metamorphosis  of  forms,  apparently 
dull  and  uninteresting  objects,  into  creatures  of 
life  and  beauty. 

Returning  one  day  from  the  head  of  the  loch, 
where  we  had  been  collecting  oysters  and  search- 
ing for  such  marine  curiosities  as  might  present 
themselves,  at  some  distance  among  the  rocks  an 


A  STRANDED  CONGER.  125 

object  presented  itself  whose  unusual  movements 
attracted  our  attention.  It — whatever  it  was — 
was  jumping  and  plunging  in  a  most  singular 
fashion.  So  we  landed  a  lad  to  investigate  the 
matter.  On  his  arrival  near  the  object  his  move- 
ments denoted  excitement.  He  was  seen  to  seize 
big  stones,  and  dash  them  about  frantically,  and 
was  unmistakably  in  strife  with  the  thing.  Wild- 
cat, among  other  enemies,  was  suggested.  Next 
he  was  seen  to  go  to  the  shore,  than  return  armed 
with  a  piece  of  wood,  and  renew  the  strife,  and 
apparently  brought  it  to  a  successful  issue,  for 
we  next  observed  him  dragging  the  thing  towards 
the  boat.  Only  when  he  came  near  did  we 
discover  that  it  was  a  large  conger  eel,  which  had 
been  left  by  the  receding  tide,  and  stranded 
among  the  rocks. 

John  and  some  of  the  others  expressed  their 
determination  to  eat  the  conger,  but  Kenneth,  on 
being  appealed  to,  uttered  the  single  word,  i  Beast,' 
with  intense  disgust.  It  was  explained  to  us  that 
he  came  of  a  family  which  had  never  approved  of 
such  meat,  and  he  inherited  the  ancestral  dislike. 
There  are  others  like  him  both  in  and  out  of  the 
Lews. 


126  CUDDIES  AND  THEIR  CAPTURE. 

Among  other  employments  we  sometimes  fished 
for  cuddies— the  fry  of  the  sythe  or  coal-fish — 
occasionally  pulling  them  out  as  fast  as  we  could 
throw  the  bait  in.  Compared  with  the  capture  of 
the  lordly  salmon  and  the  noble  sea- trout,  the 
taking  of  little  cuddies  seems  sport  for  children. 
So  it  is.  We  have  been  told  by  one  who  ought 
to  know  that  '  claret  is  tipple  for  boys,  port  for 
men,  but  brandy  for  heroes.'  Yet,  no  doubt,  the 
hero  would  so  far  unbend  as  to  comfort  his  lofty 
soul  with  port,  or  even  claret,  should  the  nobler 
liquor  not  be  obtainable.  So  we,  proud  salmon- 
fishers,  condescended  from  our  high  estate 
occasionally  to  fish  for  the  humble  cuddy,  in 
absence  of  the  nobler  fish,  or  when  its  season  was 
past.  An  estimable  little  fish  indeed  it  is,  when 
nicely  fried,  especially  with  a  little  lemon  arid  red 
pepper. 

We  tried  once  or  twice  for  otters,  but  not  suc- 
cessfully. The  keeper's  eldest  son,  a  bright  boy 
of  about  ten  or  eleven,  who  in  the  first  year  of 
our  residence  had  quite  established  himself  as 
my  wife's  small  henchman,  told  her,  among  other 
things,  a  story  of  an  otter,  which  I  shall  try  to 
reproduce  as  it  was  told  by  him.  This  lad,  Fin- 


FINLAY'S  STORY  OF  AN  OTTER.  127 

lay  by  name,  is  now  growing  into  a  fine  youth, 
to  judge  by  the  description  given  of  him  by  his 
father.  He  says,  in  a  recent  letter, 

*  My  boy  Finlay  is  now  grown  very  good,  sir. 
He  shall  be  an  able  lad.  He  is  fully  five  feet  ten 
inches,  and  shall  be  very  active,  sir.  He  is 
seventeen  years  old  on  the  thirteenth  of  Novem- 
ber first,  sir.' 

We  ascertained  that  his  story  was  true,  as 
regarded  the  main  facts,  though  he  had  appended 
in  the  last  sentence  an  imaginary  sequel  of  his 
own.  His  story  ran  as  follows,  and  it  must  be 
remembered  that  his  English  was  yet  not  very 
fluent : 

4  An'  there  wass  a  inon,  an'  it  was  cauld,  cauld, 
in  the  time  of  snow,  an'  he  went  to  the  burn,  an' 
he  saw  an  otter,  an'  the  otter  had  come  there  to 
look  for  the  feesh,  an' ' — Finlay  now  gesticulated 
violently,  representing  a  man  as  if  clutching  at 
an  object — '  he  at  the  otter,  an'  caught  her  by  the 
tail,  an'  over  the  shoulder  with  her  for  a  big  fling 
to  knock  her  head  against  a  stone.  An'  the 
otter,  she  oop  wi'  herself  an'  caught  the  mon  by 
the  shoulder,  an'  the  mon  he  couldn't  away  with 
her  whatever.  An'  he  called,  an'  called  to  his 


128  FLORAL  SPOILS  OF  THE  MOOR. 

wife  to  bring  the  spade,  and  hit  the  otter,  but  no 
to  touch  him.  An'  his  wife  she  took  the  spade, 
and  she  hit  at  the  otter,  but  she  hit  so  hard,  she 
knocked  down  the  mon,  an'  away  went  the  otter, 
an'  never,  never  wass  seen  no  more.  An'  the 
mon  he  lay  there.' 

'And  was  he  killed?'  we  asked,  as  the  boy 
paused. 

1  No,'  said  Finlay,  c  he  was  no  killed.  He  got 
up,  and  to  his  wife  he  says,  "  Never  see  your  face 


no  more." 


One  of  the  first  things  Finlay  did  on  our  first 
arrival  was  to  conduct  the  i  leddy '  to  view  a 
snipe's  nest  (deserted,  I  fear)  with  three  eggs  in 
it;  and  also  to  inspect  some  troutlets  which  he 
had  discovered  in  a  small  pool  in  the  burn.  In 
fact  he  became  her  self-constituted  henchman, 
and  assisted  in  the  gathering  of  such  moor  spoils 
as  fern-leaves,  heath,  scabious,  sundew,  bog- 
asphodel,  milkwort,  arid  the  more  rarely  met  with 
pinguicula,  or  butterwort,  with  other  floral 
treasures  to  adorn  our  moorland  home. 


129 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

FISHING  IN  THE  LEWS. 

LOCH  OF  THE  'BALD-HEADED  '—NEVER  SAW  A  SALMON— SEA -TROUT— A 
GOOD  CATCH— CAPTURE  OF  A  POACHER — THE  BLACKWATER  RIVER— 
SALMON-FISHING — ONLY  RETURNED  ONCE  EMPTY-HANDED— GRIM- 
ERSTA— CHROISTAN— SEA-TROUT  PARR — A  GALE  IN  THE  LEWS. 

ATTACHED  to  our  shooting  was  a  loch  which  re- 
joiced in  the  name  of  Loch-an-phair-n-Mheaoul. 
It  is  not  an  easy  name  to  pronounce  in  rapid 
conversation,  nor  quite  suitable  to  the  Sassenach 
tongue,  though  rolled  out  glibly  enough  from 
Celtic  lips.  We  therefore  adopted  its  English 
synonym,  which  meant  c  the  loch  of  the  bald- 
headed  man.'  How  it  came  by  that  name  I 
cannot  say,  nor  could  we  learn  from  the  people 
about  us.  So  far  as  we  could  judge,  there  was 
nothing  in  the  topographical  features  of  it  or  its 
surroundings  to  account  for  it,  and,  as  tradition 
was  equally  unproductive  of  any  reason,  we  con- 
cluded that  it  must  have  been  evolved  from  the 


130  SPIRITS  OF  THE  WASTE. 

internal  consciousness — to  use  that  much-abused 
phrase — of  some  funny  Highlander,  or  possibly 
originated  in  his  seeing  a  '  Boduch,'  or  spectral 
spirit,  of  the  waste  in  the  vicinity. 

There  are  many  in  those  regions.  There  is 
especially  a  notable  one  which  haunts  the  road 
between  Garrynahine  and  the  standing-stones  of 
Callarnish.  That  Boduch  has  often  been  seen, 
and,  I  believe,  contended  with.  It  is  related  that 
a  lad  once  wrestled  with  him  all  night,  and  was 
quite  grey-haired  next  day.  I  think  I  remember 
hearing  that  its  presence  was  associated  with  a 
light,  like  that  from  a  pipe.  I  have  heard  of 
another,  which  in  shape  of  a  trunkless  head  bowls 
along  the  road. 

However,  whether  the  '  bald-headed' — as  we  came 
to  call  the  loch  for  the  sake  of  brevity — derived 
its  name  from  a  mundane  or  spiritual  source,  it 
was  very  good  for  sea-trout.  Its  waters  were 
poured  into  the  Grimersta  river,  but  salmon,  in 
which  that  river  is  so  prolific,  keep  to  the  line  of 
lochs,  which  receive  the  river  after  it  debouches 
from  the  extensive  sheet  of  water  known  as  Loch 
Langabhat,  and  do  not  ascend  to  the  c  bald-headed/ 
We  fished  the  loch  for  two  years,  but  never  rose 


*  THE  BALD-HEADED  '  LOCH.  131 

or  saw  a  salmon.  With  the  sea-trout  we  had  fair 
sport,  and  killed  them  up  to  about  four-and-a- 
half  pounds  in  weight.  The  average,  however,  all 
through,  including  finnocks,  was  about  a  pound. 
I  had  a  coble  on  the  loch  which  was  about  half-a- 
mile  long  and  the  same  in  width. 

The  best  day  my  wife  and  I  had  produced  a 
creel  of  thirty-two  sea-trout,  besides  brownies. 
This  was  very  fair,  as  we  rarely  began  fishing 
before  one  o'clock,  arid  finished  at -six,  for  it  was 
about  four  miles  from  the  lodge,  and  the  lady  was 
quite  a  novice,  though  she  afterwards  beat  me  on 
more  than  one  occasion.  My  brother  was  always 
too  late  in  his  arrival  for  the  best  of  it,  and  did 
not  much  care  for  fishing. 

The  stream  under  Mokhlut,  to  which  I  have 
referred  in  my  account  of  the  death  of  the  running 
stag,  was  one  of  the  sources  of  this  loch,  and  we 
have  often  seen  sea-trout  in  it,  all  ready  for  spawn- 
ing, where  it  crosses  the  road,  and  could  have 
taken  out  numbers  with  a  landing-net.  They 
were  not  so  safe  from  the  natives  as  from  us. 

It  is  related  that  on  one  occasion  the  late  pro- 
prietor, Sir  J.  Matheson,  was  driving  along  the 
road,  when  he  espied  a  man  at  this  burn  busily 

K2 


1  32  CAPTURE  OF  A  POACHER. 

engaged  in  capturing  the  spawning  trout.  So 
intent  was  he  on  his  poaching  that  he  was  not 
aware  of  the  presence  of  the  enemy.  Sir  James  got 
out  and  stalked  the  man,  and  himself  seized  him 
'  flagrante  delicto.' 

No  doubt  the  fellow  was  pretty  considerably 
astonished  to  find  into  whose  hands  he  had  fallen, 
when  he  recognised  in  his  captor  the  kindly  face 
and  commanding  stature  of  the  '  proprietor.'  I 
believe  he  escaped  with  nothing  more  serious  than 
a  good  whigging,  on  the  plea  that  as  he,  Sir  James, 
was  himself  the  captor,  and  not  any  of  his  keepers, 
he  was  constrained  to  treat  the  case  leniently. 

I  have  mentioned  the  Grimersta,  and,  having 
done  so,  I  can  hardly  dismiss  with  a  mere  reference 
the  best  salmon  river  in  the  Lews,  and  one  difficult 
to  beat  anywhere.  It  issues,  as  I  have  said,  from 
Loch  Langabhat,  which  is  some  seven  miles  long, 
and  thence  passes  through  four  other  lochs  with, 
in  some  instances,  but  brief  river- way — or  fords,  as 
they  call  them, — between,  before  it  reaches  the  sea 
in  a  direct  line  about  seven  miles.  I  believe  it 
is  divided  into  five  beats,  and  I  think  I  am  not 
wrong  in  stating  that  over  two  thousand  salmon 
and  grilse  were  fairly  killed  by  rod  in  one  season ; 


THE  GRIMERSTA  AS  A  SALMON  RIVER.          133 

an  exceptional  one,  perhaps,  but  still  it  is  good 
for  great  takes  at  most  times.  The  fishing,  from 
the  nature  of  it,  is  principally  from  boat,  and 
rough  days  are  desirable,  though  this  may  be 
occasionally  dangerous  in  that  stormy  region.  A 
sad  accident  occurred  only  last  year.  In  endea- 
vouring to  make  the  shore  in  a  gale,  a  coble  was 
upset,  and  one  of  the  gillies  drowned. 

I  have  heard  of  twenty-five  fish  being  landed  in 
one  day,  and  in  the  neighbouring  river,  the  Black- 
water,  a  similar  number  was  once  taken;  but 
this  was  in  the  days  when  the  late  Sir  J. 
Matheson  kept  the  latter  in  his  own  hands  for  the 
use  of  his  own  friends  and  guests  at  Stornoway 
Castle.  The  Morsgail  forest  and  shootings  were 
similarly  preserved  in  those  days,  and  for  the 
same  purpose,  for  he  was  not  himself  a  sports- 
man. 

I  had  permission  on  several  occasions  to  fish  the 
Blackwater  when  it  was  at  its  best,  and  once, 
when  the  river  was  in  good  order,  fishing  from  my 
chair,  I  landed  six  fish  myself  in  the  course  of  an 
afternoon,  besides  sea-trout.  John,  the  Scaliscro 
keeper,  was  looking  after  the  river  at  that  time, 
and  it  was  here  I  first  formed  his  acquaintance. 


134  THE  BLACK  WATER — A  LATE  KELT. 

He  knew  the  river  well,  and  the  suitable  places  to 
fish  at  suitable  heights  of  the  water. 

I  remember  his  pointing  to  a  narrow  rush  of 
water  between  some  weeds,  ordinarily  dry,  but  on 
that  day  with  sufficient  depth  to  hold  a  fish, 
though  out  of  the  main  channel.  He  said  a 
fish  would  come,  if  I  could  cast  into  so  narrow 
a  place.  I  did  so,  and  a  fish  did  come,  just  with 
his  nose  above  water,  and  closed  his  jaws  an  inch 
behind  the  fly.  John  turned  to  me  chuckling  at 
the  success  of  his  prediction.  After  a  little  rest,  I 
cast  again,  rose,  hooked,  and  killed  a  small 
salmon. 

Another  day  I  landed  a  '  weel  mendit '  kelt 
after  a  fair  fight.  This  was  in  the  month  of 
September,  and  the  sea  was  within  half-a-mile 
with  no  sort  of  obstruction.  It  was  a  fish  of 
about  twelve  pounds,  and  of  course  had  to  go 
back  whence  it  came.  John  did  not  account  for 
a  kelt  at  that  season,  neither  did  or  could  I.  It 
was,  I  suppose,  one  of  the  unaccountable  vagaries 
which  beset  salmon  life  and  ways. 

I  only  once,  in  about  half-a-dozen  occasions, 
returned  empty-handed  from  fishing  the  Black- 
water  in  those  good  old  times  on  that  river.  It 


A  FREE  RISING  SALMON.  135 

was  blowing  a  gale  from  the  east,  never  good 
in  that  part  of  the  Lews,  with  a  full  water ;  but, 
even  then,  I  hooked  a  goodish  fish  on  a  large 
'  butcher/  but  lost  him  after  some  play ;  and  it 
became  so  '  coors '  that  I  had  to  return,  for  the 
fish  would  not  show. 

The  favourite  fly  at  that  time  was  one  they 
called  '  the  squire,'  dressed  very  small,  but  I 
do  not  think  the  fish  were  very  particular.  I  re- 
member rising  one  six  times  before  I  hooked 
and  killed  him,  and  offered  him  several  different 
kinds  of  fly,  at  all  of  which  he  rose  indiscrimi- 
nately. 

The  fishing  there  is  very  different  now-a-days. 
It  is,  or  was,  attached  to  '  Garrynahine  Inn,'  close 
to  which  it  enters  an  inlet  of  Loch  Roag.  At 
times  I  believe  fair  fishing  is  to  be  had,  but  not 
in  anything  like  the  quantity  of  former  years. 

There  was  at  one  time  a  system  of  creating  arti- 
ficial half-spates  by  means  of  sluices  arranged  at 
the  outlet  of  Loch  More,  a  small  loch  some  three 
miles  up,  through  which  the  stream  flowed.  But 
I  do  not  think  it  was  in  operation  at  the  time  I 
fished  there. 

By  the  kind  courtesy  of  one  of  the  lessees  of 


136  LOCH  CROISTAN. 

Grimersta,  I  had  an  opportunity  of  trying  that 
celebrated  river  on  one  occasion  during  our  last 
year's  stay  at  Scaliscro,  but  was  unable  to  avail 
myself  of  it.  My  wife  and  brother  went,  how- 
ever, but  a  very  promising  morning  turned  out 
quite  calm,  and  they  only  succeeded  in  raising 
lish  without  effecting  any  capture. 

Of  other  rivers  and  lochs  on  the  island,  I  can- 
not speak  from  personal  fishing-experience,  except 
the  little  Loch  Croistan  on  the  Uig  shootings. 
This  we  fished  occasionally  during  the  first  two 
years  of  our  residence  at  Scaliscro,  as  Uig  was 
then  unlet,  and  we  had  permission  to  fish  in  it. 
Crossing  Little  Loch  Roag  to  a  bay  just  above 
Einacleit,  a  mile-and-a-half  of  walking  brought 
us  to  it.  Personally  I  much  preferred  fishing  it  to 
the  '  Bald-headed '  loch.  One  does  establish  such 
preferences  sometimes  without  knowing  why. 
The  latter  was  much  the  larger,  and  yet  my  best 
basket  of  sea-trout  on  each  was,  I  think,  the  same 
— twenty-four.  It  is  true,  salmon  ran  into  Croi- 
stan, and  this  of  itself  would  have  been  good 
cause  for  a  preference  ;  but,  independently  of  that, 
I  enjoyed  fishing  it  more,  and  no  salmon  were  in 
it  the  first  season.  The  big  burn  or  small  river 


A  SHARP  AFFAIR  WITH  A  SALMON.  137 

which  gave  access  to  it  was  too  low  all  that 
season.  It  contains  no  pools,  and  fish  have  to 
scuttle  up  as  best  they  can  at  once  in  a  spate. 

On  the  first  occasion  of  the  second  year  of 
our  fishing  it,  I,  who  alone  was  fishing,  rose 
several  salmon,  but  only  hooked  one,  which  I  lost 
after  about  ten-minutes'  play.  Some  large  sea- 
trout  also  came  at  me  without  my  succeeding  in 
hooking  them.  I  had  capital  sport,  so  far  as 
raising  fish  went,  but  only  killed  a  few  sea-trout. 
John  thought  it  must  be  owing  to  the  shallow- 
ness  of  the  loch.  However,  we  did  manage  to  get 
a  few  eventually. 

The  first  I  got  was  a  very  sharp  affair.  I  had 
seen  a  fish  rise,  and  backed  the  boat  down  to  the 
spot.  He  came  at  the  first  offer,  ran  out  about 
forty  yards,  as  hard  as  he  could  spin,  and  then 
allowed  me  to  manoeuvre  him  close  to  the  boat, 
when  he  was  gaffed  before  he  had  considered  what 
next  to  do.  It  was  not  five  minutes.  He  weighed 
nine  pounds.  I  got  another  the  same  day,  and  he 
very  nearly  saved  us  the  trouble  of  gaffing  at  all, 
by  almost  jumping  into  the  boat.  Besides  these 
two  fish,  I  had  fifteen  sea-trout  that  day,  from 
three  pounds  downwards,  and  John,  who  was  not 


138  FAST  IN  A  FISH. 

with  us,  opened  his  eyes  when  we  displayed  our 
capture  on  his  meeting  us  at  the  pier  of  the 
'  wintering  bulls.' 

I  was  sketching  the  loch  one  day,  at  the  very 
time  my  brother  was  fast  in  a  fish,  which,  however, 
I  think,  broke  him.  We  killed  a  few  others.  I 
do  not  think  any  salmon  were  killed  in  the  loch 
the  next  year,  though  I  believe  fifty  sea-trout 
were  taken  one  day  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  H.  fishing 
together. 

I  have  heard  that  subsequently  our  successor 
at  Scaliscro  did  get  some.  So  variable  is  this 
little  loch !  The  Uig  road  passes  along  one  side 
of  it,  and  on  the  other  there  is  a  high  hill  which 
somewhat  screens  it  from  westerly  winds.  At  the 
ends,  however,  to  north  and  south,  it  is  more 
open,  and  from  these  directions  winds  rake  it 
nicely,  and  it  requires  a  good  deal  of  surface  dis- 
turbance to  make  the  salmon  take,  though  I 
caught  sea-trout  with  the  slightest  ruifle  of  the 
water.  Very  pleasant  memories  I  have  of  that 
little  loch. 

I  often  used  only  a  very  light  single-handed 
trouting-rod,  and  a  sea-trout  of  two  or  three 
pounds  played  as  strongly  as  a  salmon  with  a 


OBSTRUCTIVE  WATERFALLS.        139 

heavier  rod.  Loch-fishing  is  simple  work  though, 
and  not  in  my  estimation  comparable,  in  some 
respects,  to  that  in  a  rough  stream. 

On  our  own  shooting,  near  the  road  under 
Caldershall,  there  was  a  very  nice  little  loch  which 
received  the  burn  forming  the  boundary  between 
Morsgail  and  Grimersta.  A  deep  burn  carried  off 
the  water  to  the  sea,  about  half-way  between 
Scaliscro  and  the  head  of  the  loch,  but  unfortun- 
ately there  were  two  nasty  waterfalls  in  its  course 
of  a  mile  or  so.  Nasty  is  perhaps  hardly  the 
correct  word  to  apply,  for  they  were  both  very 
picturesque,  and  I  sketched  them  both.  But  the 
artistic  perception  is  not  always  quite  the  same  as 
the  piscatorial,  though  I  believe  both  are  gener- 
ally, to  some  extent,  intimately  associated. 

We  all  know  how  Leech's  huntsman  spoke  of 
'them  stinking  violets1  when,  in  the  late  season, 
he  found  that  a  very  different  sort  of  scent  which  he 
loved  was  bad.  My  term  c  nasty,'  therefore,  may 
be  considered  as  used  only  in  a  Pickwickian  sense, 
and  only  applicable  to  the  waterfalls  as  being 
obstacles  to  the  ascent  of  fish. 

We  prevailed  on  c  the  estate '  to  make  an 
attempt  to  blow  up  these  obstructions,  but  the 


140  SALMO  FEROX  IN  THE  LEWS. 

plan  was  not  carried  out  in  a  sufficiently  com- 
prehensive manner.  It  was  so  far  successful, 
however,  that  some  sea-trout  did  manage  to  get 
up.  I  put  the  coble  on  the  loch  as  a  tentative 
measure,  and  took  three  sea-trout,  one  about  one- 
and-three-quarter  pounds.  This  was  the  only 
time  we  fished  it,  as  we  thought  it  best  to  let 
those  who  had  found  their  way  up  stock  it.  The 
loch  was  full  of  little  brownies,  and  wild  ducks 
usually  had  a  brood  there.  We  got  one  or  two 
mallard  off  it. 

John  told  me  that  he  once  killed  a  large  salmo 
ferox  there.  He  believes  that  salmo  ferox  are 
now  extinct  in  the  Lews. 

There  were  brown  trout,  and  some,  I  believe,  of 
a  fairish  size  in  some  of  the  numerous  lochs  on 
the  ground,  but  we  never  thought  of  fishing  for 
them.  On  the  l  Bald-headed  '  we  killed  them  up 
to  a  pound,  and  they  were  as  good  as  sea-trout  at 
that  size. 

Dr.  Day  appears  to  have  arrived  proximately  at 
some  determination  as  to  the  identity  of  sewin 
truff,  scruff,  with  the  sea-trout  of  the  north — 
the  difference  being  more  local  than  structural. 

The   grilse  state  of  '  salmo   trutta,'  under  the 


SEA-TROUT  PARR.  141 

various  denominations  of  whitlings,  herlings, 
firmocks,  &c.,  seems  to  be  also  fairly  decipherable. 
But  what  about  sea-trout  parr  ?  John  asked  me 
this  question,  and  I  asked  him  the  same. 

Here  was  a  man  who  had  been  river-keeper  for 
years,  and  fished  all  his  life  in  streams  frequented 
by  sea-trout,  and  he  told  me  he  had  never  seen  a 
sea-trout  parr.  He  could  not  account  for  it,  unless 
it  were  that  they  migrated  to  the  sea  in  mid- 
winter, when  no  one  was  on  the  look-out  for  them. 
But  then,  where  were  they  during  the  first  year 
of  their  existence,  previous  to  becoming  smolts  ? 
We  never  hooked  a  parr  in  the  '  Bald-headed/ 
though  we  caught  numbers  of  small  brownies,  and 
yet,  in  the  streams  which  fed  it,  sea-trout  spawned 
in  great  numbers,  though  no  salmon  did.  If  the 
parr  of  salmon  and  sea-trout  were  similar,  as  some 
think,  we  should  surely  have  caught  some  had 
they  been  there.  I  fear  I  must  leave  this  question 
for  ichthyologists,  but  it  is  also  interesting  to  the 
sportsman.  Salmon  and  their  congeners  seem  to 
have  ways  of  their  own,  which  '  no  feller  can 
understand.' 

The  summer  in  the  Lews  in  1880  was  remark- 
able for  the  unusual  heat.  Salmon,  in  consequence 


142  EFFECT  OF  DROUGHT  ON  SALMON. 

could  not  ascend  the  rivers,  which  became  so 
attenuated  as  to  afford  no  waterway  for  them. 
Fresh  water  being  equally  necessary  as  sea  for  the 
health  of  the  fish  at  the  proper  season,  they  suf- 
fered in  consequence.  Many  became  quite  blind, 
and  developed  a  white  spot  on  the  head,  the  result 
being  the  death  of  numbers  near  the  mouths  of 
rivers.  We  used  to  watch  them  rising  and 
swimming  near  the  surface  in  Little  Loch  Roag, 
where,  however,  owing  to  the  contracted  character 
of  the  inlet,  and  the  large  amount  of  fresh  water 
usually  poured  into  it,  they  perhaps  suffered  less 
than  in  some  other  parts.  But  there  was  little 
fishing  in  the  Morsgail  river  and  loch  that 
season. 

It  certainly  was  an  exceptional  season  that,  and 
it  continued  fine  and  warm  for  a  considerable  time. 
But,  as  I  have  remarked,  it  knows  how  to  rain 
and  blow  in  those  regions.  We  witnessed  a  very 
remarkable  storm  of  wind  without  rain  one  year, 
one  of  the  hardest  blows  I  think  I  ever  saw  so 
early  in  the  season,  and  its  'effects  on  the  crops 
were  such  as  I  never  saw  anywhere.  It  was  the 
first  of  October  and  a  Sunday.  The  corn  was  in 
stooks,  and  the  hay  for  the  most  part  abroad  in 


A  FUEIOUS  WIND  AND  ITS  EFFECTS.  143 

small  stacks.  Next  morning  there  was  nothing 
left  of  what  was  out  in  the  fields.  There  was 
simply  a  clean  sweep.  In  one  wild  rush  of  wind 
were  swept  away, 

1  The  big  hopes 
And  well- earned  treasures  of  the  painful  year.' 

Not  a  s took,  or  debris  of  a  stook,  was  left  on 
some  plots,  but  all  carried  bodily  out  on  to  the 
moor  or  into  the  sea.  I  believe  not  one  fourth  of 
the  whole  crop  was  saved  or  recovered  by  toilsome 
gathering  on  the  moor. 

But  it  was  a  splendid  sight  to  witness ;  and 
we  had  a  grand  view  from  the  lodge,  which,  how- 
ever, shook  ominously.  We  only  shed  a  few  slates 
though,  for  it  was  a  tough  little  structure,  built 
with  a  view  to  encounter  gales.  The  wind  was 
from  the  south,  and  accordingly  tore  down  our 
loch  with  nothing  to  resist  its  fury.  The  crests 
of  the  waves,  when  the  incoming  tide  met  it,  were 
cut  clean  off  and  driven  in  a  large  body  of  sea- 
foam,  perhaps  a  hundred  feet  high,  right  down 
the  loch.  I  cannot  fix  the  depth,  but  this  hurry- 
ing body  of  spume  almost  obscured  the  opposite 
shore,  while  the  high  hills  in  the  distance  rose 
clear  above  it,  for  there  was  no  rain. 


144  BLOWN  OUT  TO  SEA. 

The  roar  of  wind  and  waters  was  deafening, 
and  came  ever  and  anon  with  a  crash  which  made 
us  think  something  must  be  going.  One  who 
ventured  outside  was  sorely  tried,  and  had  to 
return  at  a  crawl.  The  elemental  disturbance 
was  general  over  the  island.  Several  vessels  were 
sunk  or  driven  ashore  in  Stornoway  Bay,  land- 
locked though  it  is. 

It  happened  to  be  communion  Sunday  at 
Meavaig  on  the  Uig  shore,  and  there  was  a  large 
assembly  there  of  those  who  arrived  in  boats  from 
Bernera  and  the  other  shore  before  the  storm  was 
at  its  worst.  After  service,  the  minister  prevailed 
on  most  not  to  attempt  a  return  by  sea,  sheltered 
though  they  partially  would  be  among  the  islands 
with  the  wind  blowing  off  shore.  But  two  or 
three  boats'  crews  insisted  on  attempting  it. 
One  we  heard  next  morning  was  lost,  but  it 
turned  out  that,  after  being  disabled,  the  boat  was 
driven  through  the  narrow  channel  where  we 
fished  for  flounders,  and,  narrowly  escaping 
being  driven  out  to  sea,  got  ashore  in  a  bay  on 
Bernera,  and  the  people  escaped  to  the  rocks. 

Notwithstanding  the  high  winds,  it  is  said 
that  the  Lews  climate  is  mild  in  winter,  and  that- 


CLIMATE  OF  THE  LEWS.  145 

snow  does  not  last  long.  It  must,  however,  be 
sufficiently  trying,  I  should  think,  to  judge  by  the 
experiences  of  those  shooting  woodcocks  there  in 
mid- winter. 


146 


CHAPTER  IX. 

A  RIVER  OF  DEVON. 

THE  EXE  AS  A  SALMON  RIVER— WONDERFUL  CAPTURE  OF  A  MONSTER  PIKE 
— TWO  HOURS  WITH  A  SALMON— MT  SALMON  ROD— A  SHORT  CAST- 
MAJOR  TREHERNE'S  CAST— TROUT  '-FISHING—A  NICE  BASKET— A  LUCKY 

RECAPTURE— POETRY  OF  FISHING — OTTERS— HERONS— MOORHENS — 
WATER-OUSELS — KING -FISHERS. 

A  RIVER  in  Devon,  though  a  moorland  one,  can 
hardly  be  classed  as  coming  within  the  nomencla- 
ture of  this  little  book.  But,  as  that  notable 
warrior,  Captain  Fluellen,  observed,  f  There  is  a 
river  in  Macedon,  and  there  is,  also,  moreover,  a 
river  at  Monmouth.  .  .  .  and  there  are  salmons  in 
both,'  I  may,  perhaps,  be  pardoned,  therefore, 
while  on  the  subject  of  fishing,  if  i  narrate  some 
experiences  among  i  salmons  '  and  other  fish  in  the 
river  I  have  referred  to.  Captain  Fluellen  says 
1  it  was  out  of  his  prains '  what  name  the  river  of 
Macedon  bore,  arid  no  wonder  ;  but  I  may  say  that 
my  reference  is  to  the  river  Exe,  on  which  my 
home  is  situated. 


THE  EXE  AS  A  SALMON  FIVER.  147 

Previous  to  1879,  the  Exe  was  little  accounted 
of  as  a  salmon-river.  Indeed,  I  am  not  aware  that 
anyone  fished  systematically  with  the  rod  for 
salmon  except,  perhaps,  in  the  immediate  neigh- 
bourhood of  Exeter  above  the  tideway.  An 
occasional  fish  may  have  been  taken  when  spin- 
ning a  minnow  for  trout,  but  they  were  not  re- 
cognised as  regular  visitors  to  the  river,  nor  were 
they  often  seen.  As  trout-fishing  ceased  in  some 
of  the  association's  waters  as  early  as  September 
the  first,  I  am  inclined  to  think  that  autumn- 
running  fish  may  have  been  present  in  greater 
numbers  than  was  suspected,  but  thus  escaped 
observation.  Parr  were  certainly  sometimes 
troublesome  in  the  spring. 

However  that  may  be,  a  total  change  came  o'er 
the  spirit  of  our  river  in  1879.  The  terribly  wet 
spring  and  summer  of  that  year,  so  disastrous 
to  farmers,  proved  to  be  of  incalculable  benefit  to 
the  river,  which  developed  all  the  honours  of 
a  salmon -stream. 

A  few  fish  were  seen  in  the  upper  waters  in  May, 
and  I  think  some  were  killed  with  minnow  during 
that  month.  In  June,  I  was  away,  and  on  my 
return  found  that  salmon  had  ascended  in  large 

L2 


148       SALMON  AT  THORVERTON  WEIR. 

numbers,  were  to  be  seen  sporting  in  every  pool, 
and  had  already  afforded  grand  sport. 

The  river  remained  in  ply  throughout  the  season, 
and  fish  were  able  to  surmount  the  weirs,  num- 
bers of  which  obstructions  act  as  formidable 
barriers  to  the  ascent  of  salmon  between  the  sea 
and  the  upper  waters. 

Sixty  or  seventy  fish  to  a  rod  in  the  waters  with 
which  I  am  connected — those  of  the  Up  Exe  Asso- 
ciation— were  obtained  by  more  than  one  angler. 
It  was  said  that  salmon,  which  should  by  rights 
have  entered  other  rivers  of  South  Devon,  on  this 
occasion,  for  some  inscrutable  reason,  selected  the 
Exe  in  preference.  Up  to  the  last  they  came  in 
shoals.  On  the  very  last  day  of  the  season,  I 
watched  them  trying  to  make  their  way  over 
Thorverton  weir.  4  They  came  not  in  single  spies, 
but  in  battalions.'  Half-a-dozen  would  be 
wriggling  and  striving  against  the  fall  at  one 
time.  Great  alterations  have  happily  been  ex- 
ecuted at  this  and  other  weirs,  and,  though  there 
is  still  much  to  be  desired,  fish  can  ascend  in  any- 
thing like  a  full  water,  and  fair  sport  is  often  to 
be  had  in  spring  and  autumn  ever  since  that 


THE  SMOLTS'  ENEMIES.          149 

memorable  year,  though  it  has  never  been  ap- 
proached as  to  numbers. 

During  summer  the  river  is  generally  too  low 
for  sport,  even  though  fish  should  be  lying  in  the 
pools.  But  the  smolts  have  to  run  the  gauntlet  of 
many  enemies  in  their  descent  to  the  sea  in  spring, 
I  fear  they  are  not  quite  so  unmolested  by  human 
agency  as  is  desirable,  but  their  great  foe  is  the 
4  pike.'  These  voracious  '  tyrants  of  the  watery 
plain '  exist  in  large  numbers  in  the  lower  waters, 
but  I  have  not  known  of  any  above  Thorverton 
weir.  They  are  caught  occasionally  just  below  it, 
but  I  have  never  heard  of  any  above. 

A  young  friend  of  mine,*  a  fine  young  fellow, 
and  now  pulling  No.  3  oar  in  the  Oxford  eight, 
had  a  very  notable  piece  of  sport  with  a  large 
pike  at  a  part  of  the  river  below  where  the 
Culm  joins  the  Exe.  I  think  so  excellent  a 
tussle,  and  one  so  well  and  graphically  described — 
for  I  give  it  in  his  own  words — may  well  serve 
as  the  prelude  to  other  descriptions  of  sport  on 
our  river.  He  entitles  it  '  My  first  pike/ 

c  I  was  at  Rewe  in  September,  1885,  and,  there 

*  Mr.  S.  Williams.   This  was  written  in  1887,  before  the  University 
race. 


150  ADVICE  OF  AN  OLD  '  EEL  CLATTER.' 

being  no  shooting  just  then,  I  thought  of  having 
a  try  for  perch  or  whatever  I  could  catch  below 
Stoke  Cannon,  and  so  work  on  to  Culm  Foot, 
where  the  Culm  runs  into  the  Exe.  With  that 
end  in  view,  I  consulted  an  old  "  eel  clatter  "  in 
Stoke  as  to  whether  there  was  a  chance  of  getting 
a  fish  anywhere,  and,  if  so,  where  were  the  best 
places. 

1  u  Ees,  vai,"  said  he.  "  I  knaws  there  be  gurt  fish 
thereabouts.  Way,  wan  night,  when  I  was  down 
there  catching  eels,  I  yeared  a  'menjous  gurt 
flop  in  the  water,  and  could  see  a  fish  drave  (drive) 
like  '  Billy  eyed.'  Aw,  ees,  do'ee  go  doun  there, 
sur,  you'm  bound  to  catch  wun." 

4  So  down  I  went  the  next  day,  armed  with  my 
trout-rod  (single-handed),  reel,  and  fly-book.  Not 
having  a  hook  of  any  sort,  and,  not  wishing  to 
massacre  a  large  trout  or  salmon  fly,  I  hunted 
up  an  old  perch-book  of  my  father's — Heaven 
knows  how  old  it  was,  I  cannot  remember  my 
father  fishing. 

1  Arrived  at  Culm  Foot,  the  next  thing  was  to 
get  a  live  bait.  Luckily  some  dace  were  rising 
not  far  off,  so  I  caught  one  with  a  fly  and  trans- 
ferred him  to  my  bait-can,  which  was  made  out  of 


ARRIVED  AT  THE  HOLE.  151 

an  old  tin.  Having  looked  out  the  thickest 
trout-cast  I  could  find  (it  was  not  at  all  thick, 
as  I  had  only  been  using  very  fine  casts  all 
through  the  summer),  I  attached  the  old  hook, 
soaked  both  hook  and  cast  well,  put  on  my  float  in 
the  shape  of  a  cork  with  a  slit  in  it,  baited  my  hook, 
and  threw  it  into  the  deep  swirl  made  by  the  meet- 
ing of  the  waters  of  Culm  and  Exe.  The  hole  must 
have  been  fairly  deep,  but  I  had  no  opportunity 
of  judging  on  account  of  the  blackness  of  the 
Culm  water,  which  is  caused  by  five  paper-mills 
between  Cullornpton  and  Stoke  pouring  their 
filth  into  the  river,  and  thereby  killing  most  of 
the  fish. 

'  Having  seen  rny  float  slowly  circling  round  the 
pool,  I  laid  my  rod  down  in  the  reeds,  and  went 
backwards  a  little  bit,  to  get  out  of  the  reeds  and 
mud  close  to  the  water's  edge.  I  then  lit  a  pipe 
and  had  hardly  got  it  into  good  working  order 
before  I  saw  my  float  disappear,  and  the  rod  pre- 
paring to  follow  it.  I  hastily  got  hold  of  it  and 
was  immediately  aware  that  I  had  a  large  fish  on. 

'Away  he  went  across  the  pool,  taking  out  about 
thirty  yards  of  line  at  a  rush  (luckily  it  was  a 
newly -put- on  line  of  forty  yards,  and  was  without 


152        A  MONSTER  PIKE  HOOKED  AND  FOUGHT. 

a  hitch  or  kink  of  any  sort).  Slowly  I  reeled  him 
up  to  me,  and  again  away  he  went.  This  sort  of 
thing  went  on  for  perhaps  eight  times  till  the 
fish  grew  tired,  and  went  into  the  weeds  about 
fifteen  yards  from  me.  Of  course  I  had  been 
very  gentle  with  him  all  this  time,  and  now  I 
had  to  employ  some  force  to  get  him  out  of 
the  weeds. 

4  After  some  resistance,  he  slowly  came  back  to 
me,  tail  first,  with  weeds  hanging  about  him  like 
the  allegorical  Old  Father  Thames,  and  then  for 
the  first  time  I  saw  him.  My  bat !  what  a  tre- 
mendous fellow  he  seemed.  I  was  quite  aghast  at 
his  size,  and  wondered  how  he  had  not  broken 
me.  Of  course,  I  thought,  I  shall  never  land  him, 
and  I  know  I  shall  never  be  believed  if  I  tell 
them  I  lost  a  fish  of  quite  eighteen  pounds  (which 
was  the  size  I  assessed  him  at). 

4  After  a  few  fainter  and  fainter  rushes,  I  had 
him  under  my  feet  dead-beat.  The  next  thing 
was  to  get  him  out.  I  had  no  net  or  gaff  of  any 
description,  and  was  afraid  to  try  to  stab  him 
with  my  knife,  as  I  might  only  wound  him,  and 
then  he  would  probably  break  me.  However,  I 
slowly  towed  him  from  the  pool  where  he  had 


KNOCKED  ON  THE  HEAD.  153 

taken  me,  up  a  back  stream  where  the  bank  was 
higher  and  firmer — he  following  me  like  some 
great  log,  and  my  rod  bent  to  the  delightful  angle 
that  tells  of  a  heavy  fish.  Having  got  him  close 
under  my  feet  in  fairly  shallow  water,  I  put  my 
rod  down — with  plenty  of  slack  line  on  it,  in  case 
he  took  it  into  his  head  to  move  off — and  ran  to 
some  railings  of  tough  ash,  a  little  way  off. 

'  After  a  deal  of  hauling,  I  managed  to  wrench 
off  a  long  piece  of  ash  "  like  a  weaver's  beam," 
sharpened  the  end  of  it,  where  it  had  split,  into  a 
sharp  point  about  the  size  of  an  ordinary  lead- 
pencil,  and  stood  over  my  fish,  ready  to  give  him 
the  coup-de-grdce.  With  my  rod  in  my  left  hand, 
I  stooped  down,  and  drove  the  instrument  (I  can 
call  it  by  no  other  name)  into  him,  just  where  his 
head  joins  his  body.  He  never  moved,  and 
turned  on  his  side  immediately,  and  he  was  mine. 

4 1  had  to  get  into  the  water  to  lift  him  out,  and 
then  I  had  a  good  look  at  him  (or  her  as  it  turned 
out,  for  it  was  a  hen-fish  in  fine  condition).  I 
was  a  mile  from  Stoke,  and  had  to  get  the  fish 
there.  I  dragged  him  all  the  way  across  the 
fields  till  I  reached  the  blacksmith's  shop.  There 
I  weighed  him,  and  he  turned  the  scale  at  twenty- 


154  A  GOOD  TWENTY-FOUR  POUNDER. 

three-and-a-half  pounds.  Every  scale  was  taken 
off  one  side  of  his  body,  so  that  ought  to  bring 
his  weight  at  least  up  to  twenty-four  pounds. 

4  That  was  my  first  pike.  I  might  add  that  I 
repaired  the  next  day  to  the  same  place,  armed 
with  a  huge  pike  rod,  and  a  trace  and  hook  big 
enough  to  land  a  whale  apparently.  1  hooked 
another  very  large  fish,  which  broke  me  in  the 
first  rush,  the  trace  going  at  the  swivel. 

i  Pike,  it  is  generally  said,  swim  in  pairs,  and 
this  may  possibly  have  been  the  cock-fish.' 

This  noble  fish  now  reposes  in  a  glass  case  in 
the  paternal  home  at  Rewe. 

Before  such  a  capture  as  that  above  recorded, 
and  with  such  inadequate  means,  most  other 
ordinary  fish-fights  must  pale,  and  I  feel  great 
hesitation  in  narrating  one  of  several  prolonged 
tussles  I  have  had  with  salmon  in  the  Exe  since 
it  developed  into  a  recognised  salmon-river.  It 
will,  however,  serve  to  illustrate,  what  happened 
to  my  young  friend,  the  varied  chances  which 
attend  the  fisherman.  Luck  certainly  comes  to 
him  when  least  expected,  and  also  ill-luck,  against 
which  all  reasonable  provision  has  been  made. 

Between  the  weirs  of  Up  Exe  and  Thorverton 


MY  SALMON  ROD.  155 

there  exists  a  stretch  of  about  half-a-mile  of  calm, 
deep  water,  and  to  this  I  often  send  down  my 
boat,  from  its  little  haven  by  my  house,  just  above 
Up  Exe  weir.  At  the  foot  of  the  last-named 
weir,  and  on  to  the  next  bend,  is  a  capital  'stickle,' 
very  good  for  trout,  and  at  the  tail  of  this,  where 
it  enters  the  deep  water,  I  have  often  raised 
salmon,  when  the  river  is  full  enough  to  produce 
a  bit  of  current  there.  The  water,  however,  is 
usually  very  slack  for  salmon-fishing,  and  it  is 
quite  protected  from  westerly  winds  by  high 
ground. 

All  along  the  stretch  of  deep  water  below,  fine 
trout  lie  under  the  bushes,  and  a  nice  creel-full 
I  sometimes  pick  up  there  when  the  water 
is  suitable,  but  it  is  quite  out  of  reach  of  favour- 
able winds,  as  a  rule,  and  in  consequence  very 
still. 

My  salmon-rod  is  only  a  light  grilsing  weapon 
of  about  fourteen  feet  long,  little  more  indeed 
than  a  double-handed  trout-rod.  I  have  had  it 
in  use  for  many  years,  and  am  accustomed  to  it, 
a  matter  of  some  importance  to  me.  I  am  quite 
content  if  I  can  place  my  salmon-fly  neatly  on  the 
water  with  only  two  or  three  rod-lengths  of  line 


156      MAJOR  TREHERNE'S  WONDERFUL  CAST. 

out.  I  have  no  power  to  do  more  ;  and  when  I 
read  of  such  casts  as  that  made  by  Major  Treherne, 
even  though  by  means  of  a  powerful  rod,  I  feel 
amazed  that  over  forty-five  yards  of  line  can  be 
sent  whirling  through  the  air,  and  so  distant  a 
point  reached  by  the  agency  of  any  rod.  All 
honour  to  him  who  can  accomplish  such  a  feat ! 

I  was  out  one  evening  in  the  end  of  May,  two 
years  ago,  on  the  water  in  question.  Unfor- 
tunately my  lad  had  broken  his  right  collar-bone  ; 
but,  as  he  thought  he  could  gaff  with  his  left  if 
the  opportunity  offered,  he  accompanied  me.  My 
indoor  servant  took  the  oars,  but  he  was  more  will- 
ing than  experienced.  Our  course  down-stream 
to  the  junction  of  stream  and  pool  was  certainly 
erratic,  and  we  passed  the  usual i  lie  '  without  my 
getting  a  rise.  We,  however,  worked  the  boat  up 
again,  assisted  in  our  tortuous  course  by  a  boat- 
hook  in  the  one  available  hand  of  the  lad  in  the 
bow. 

Again    T  essayed  my  luck  with    a  small  Jock 
Scott,  or  black  and  teal,  I  forget  which.     This 
time    I  was   more    successful.     A    little    higher 
up   than   usual,    a    fish    came — a   silver   streak 
a  boil,  and  then  the  rush.     And  such   a  rush 


ALMOST  RUN  OUT.  157 

Directly  he  was  hooked,  he  turned,  and  went 
down-stream  harder  than  any  fish  I  ever  handled. 

4  Back  water  !'  I  exclaimed.  '  Follow  the  fish  !' 
as  the  line  was  being  taken  out  at  a  furious  rate. 
4  Backing  water  '  was  an  accomplishment  in  which 
my  willing  oarsman  was  not  a  proficient,  but  with 
what  he  could  do,  and  the  current,  and  the  towing 
of  the  salmon,  we  were  moving  slowly  down, 
though  the  salmon  was  still  going  his  hardest.  I 
never  saw  such  a  rapid  rush. 

I  looked  at  my  reel.  Oh  !  horror !  there  were 
only  a  few  turns  left,  for  I  had  only  some  seventy 
or  eighty  yards  of  line  on.  I  felt  wretched,  ex- 
pecting the  inevitable  crash,  when  suddenly  the 
violent  strain  ceased,  and  I  was  able  to  gather  in 
line.  I  breathed  more  freely  and  felt  like  a  man 
reprieved.  The  fish  had  turned  in  the  very 
nick  of  time  without  jumping.  One  yard 
more,  and  something  must  have  gone,  and  that 
certainly  would  have  included  the  fish. 

We  were  now  in  deeper  and  slacker  water,  and 
the  salmon  was  boring  into  the  bank  on  the  further 
side  at  the  wide  bend  of  the  river.  As  we  dropped 
down  almost  level  with  him,  I  gathered  line  in 
fast,  and  was  soon  on  fair  terms  in  that  respect, 


1  58         A  PROLONGED  FIGHT  WITH  A  SALMON. 

and  ready  for  any  further  move.  He  made 
several  dashes  about  the  pool,  but  knocked  about 
at  his  own  sweet  will,  for  I  had  not  the  slightest 
power  over  him.  There  were  rotten  weeds  on 
the  opposite  side,  and  these  he  again  bored  into, 
and,  holding  to  that  bank  apparently  with  the 
object  of  entangling  the  line  in  some  overhanging 
bough  or  projecting  root,  now  made  his  way  up- 
stream with  a  bunch  of  weeds  clinging  to  the  line. 
We  had  to  follow,  and  it  was  no  easy  matter  to 
manage  him,  as  he  got  higher  up  than  the  boat, 
and  I  could  not  turn  to  face  him.  I  find  some 
difficulty  occasionally  when  a  fish  suddenly 
rushes  up,  as  I  have  to  play  him  over  my 
shoulder. 

After  some  considerable  exhibition  of  his 
strength  and  independence,  for  I  had  little  or  no 
influence  over  his  movements,  he  took  it  into  his 
head  that  he  would  return  to  the  place  whence  he 
came,  and  settled  down  into  a  quiet  steady  pull 
up-stream.  We  pulled  away  up  on  one  side,  and  he 
on  the  other,  the  oarsman  being  assisted  as  before 
by  the  bowman,  now  that  we  were  in  shallower 
water. 

At  last  the  vicissitudes  of  the  chase  brought  us 


THE  SALMON  CONTINUES  THE  FIGHT.  159 

clear  of  bushes,  and  opposite  the  low  open  meadow 
bank,  and,  as  it  was  quite  shallow  above,  we 
brought  up  here  with  the  bow  of  the  boat  in- 
shore. 

He,  too,  evidently  came  to  the  conclusion  that  it 
was  too  shallow  above,  and  hung  about  deeper 
water  on  the  other  side  a  good  way  above  the  place 
where  I  hooked  him.  Here  he  doggedly  fought. 
His  initial  energy  had  abated,  but  he  was  still  some- 
what master  of  the  situation,  arid  I  could  do  little 
at  first  to  control  him.  He  ought  to  have  been  a 
very  heavy  fish  by  the  way  he  fought,  but  what 
size  he  was  I  could  only  conjecture,  for  he  had 
not  shown.  Still  I  did  not  think,  somehow,  that 
he  was  above  the  average  of  the  river,  about  ten 
pounds.  It  was  now  dusk  and  he  had  been  hooked 
over  an  hour,  before  I  began  to  have  a  little 
my  own  way.  I  would  coax  him  half-way  across, 
then  he  would  dash  back,  but  not  attempt  to  go 
far  down-stream,  and  I  was  able  to  play  him  from 
our  position  by  the  bank.  This  happened  many 
times  with  less  and  less  vigour  as  time  went  on,  and 
at  last  I  managed  to  bring  him  over  to  our  side. 
He  shied  once  at  the  lad  on  the  bank  who,  gaff  in 
left  hand,  was  waiting  for  a  chance,  and  I  made 


160  THE  SALMON  AT  LAST  GIVES  IN. 

him  stand  lower  down.  Again  I  got  him  pretty 
close  to  the  bank,  and  my  lad  made  a  stroke,  held 
for  a  moment,  and  then  away  went  the  fish  once 
more  to  the  opposite  side,  apparently  with  as 
much  vigour  as  he  had  displayed  any  time  during 
the  last  half-hour. 

He  attempted  his  old  tactics,  but  his  strength 
was  failing  him.  The  moon,  little  past  the  full, 
had  risen  in  great  glory  behind  the  trees  of  Up 
Exe  mill,  and  the  gaffer  got  a  good  view  as  I  once 
more  towed  the  fish  under  the  bank.  He  struck, 
and  this  time  with  success,  and  in  another  moment 
had  a  beautiful  clean  fish  of  just  eleven  pounds 
lying  on  the  moonlit  sward,  and  I,  very  tired, 
lowered  the  point  of  my  rod. 

He  was  hooked  outside  in  the  fleshy  part  of  the 
cheek,  and  this  of  course  accounted  for  his  great 
staying  powers.  From  first  to  last  the  struggle 
occupied  nearly  two  hours.  An  evening  or  two 
afterwards  I  killed  another  fish  of  almost  exactly 
the  same  size  above  Up  Exe  weir.  I  heard  a 
splash  in  a  run  of  water  not  more  than  four  feet 
deep — for  the  river  was  getting  very  low — above 
where  I  was  casting,  and,  rowing  up  there,  rose 
him  at  once.  He  missed,  but  I  gave  him  a  little 


RUN  OUT — A  MISERABLE  MOMENT.  161 

rest,  put  on  a  small  Durham  Ranger,  and  hooked 
and  killed  him  in  about  twenty  minutes  in  a  place 
I  had  never  killed  one  in  before.  Such  are  the 
varied  chances  of  fishing. 

I  was  told  the  other  day  of  a  gentleman  who, 
fishing  some  few  miles  below,  in  the  waters  of 
another  association,  was  placed  in  the  same  pre- 
dicament (with  a  difference)  in  which  I  was  so 
nearly  placed  with  the  fighting-fish  whose  capture 
I  have  recorded. 

A  strong  fish  ran  out  all  his  line.  He  had 
failed  to  secure  it  to  the  axle  of  the  reel,  and  it 
was  simply  carried  off  bodily,  and  he  was  left 
lamenting.  At  least  I  know  I  should  have  been. 
Life  has  few  charms  left,  for  the  time,  when  one 
is  broken  in  playing  a  good  fish.  Every  fisher- 
man knows  the  feeling  of  blank  hopelessness,  of 
gloomy  despondency  which  comes  over  him  on 
such  an  occasion ;  but  to  see  one's  line  glide 
rapidly  from  one,  the  rod  straighten,  and  not  even 
have  one  last  tug  and  tussle.  Dreadful !  I  do  not 
know  how  that  gentleman  felt,  but  I,  personally, 
would  far  rather  have  had  a  grand  pull  and 
struggle  at  the  last,  even  though  there  ensued  a 
universal  smash,  than  be  thus  gently  deserted. 

M 


162  WORMS  AS  BAIT  FOR  SALMON. 

Our  fish  do  not  run  large.  The  largest  I  have 
heard  of  being  killed  in  these  parts  was,  I  think, 
under  twenty -three  pounds,  and  he  was  killed  in 
low,  bright  water,  with,  I  have  been  given  to  under- 
stand, a  worm. 

Now  worms  in  the  right  place  are,  as  we  know 
from  the  studies  of  experienced  observers,  most 
interesting  and  useful  creatures.  They  offer  them- 
selves as  food  for  moles,  and  moles,  we  are  told, 
are  also  very  useful,  though,  as  a  prejudiced 
individual,  I  prefer  their  absence  in  my  meadow 
to  their  presence.  '  Your  worm  is  your  only 
emperor  for  diet,'  said  Hamlet.  But  with  all 
these  attributes  in  their  favour,  worms  are  yet 
but  grovelling  creatures,  and  it  seems  a  little  out 
of  the  fitness  of  things  to  use  him  as  diet  or  bait 
for  so  lordly  a  fish  as  the  salmon.  I  do  not  think 
I  should  have  the  heart  to  do  it ;  but  then  I  am 
greatly  prejudiced  in  favour  of  using  the  fly,  and 
the  fly  only,  in  water  so  well  flogged  as  the  Exe, 
both  for  salmon  and  trout.  Others,  of  course, 
think  and  act  differently,  and  1  do  not  blame  them 
for  so  doing ;  the  water  is  often,  for  a  lengthened 
period,  unsuitable  for  fly-fishing. 

The  chapter  I  intended  devoting  to  fishing  in 


DRAINAGE  OF  THE  RIVER  EXE.  163 

this  section  of  the  river  Exe  will  be  unduly  pro- 
longed if  I  linger  over  my  chat,  as  I  confess  I  am 
very  much  inclined  to  do,  about  salmon. 

The  river,  to  all  appearances,  containing,  as  it 
does,  a  succession  of  deep  pools  and  l  stickles,'  is 
one  eminently  adapted  by  nature  for  both  salmon 
and  trout,  with  good  feeding.  But  modern  drain- 
age on  Exmoor,  and  on  the  hills  adjacent  to  the 
beautiful  valley  of  the  Exe,  which  supply  the  feed- 
ers to  the  river,  has  greatly  destroyed  its  value  as 
a  fishing-stream.  Heavy  rainfalls  produce  floods, 
sometimes  disastrous  ones,  but  the  river  soon  runs 
out,  and  only  remains  in  good  ply  for  a  short 
time.  The  consequence  also  is  that  the  springs 
are  more  quickly  acted  on  by  summer  drought, 
and  in  a  hot  summer  the  river  sometimes  ceases 
to  flow.  I  have  seen  salmon  in  the  pools  suffer- 
ing much  from  this  want  of  fresh  water,  for  there 
does  not  appear  to  be  much  done  to  intercept  the 
sewage  of  towns  and  villages  on  its  banks. 

The  numerous  obstacles  to  the  ascent  of  salmon 
in  the  shape  of  weirs  constructed  to  afford  water- 
power  to  mills  is  another  prolific  impediment 
to  their  ascent,  as  they  can  only  get  over  them  in 
a  full  river.  Great  improvements  have,  it  is  true, 

M2 


164  STOCKING  THE  EXE. 

been  carried  out  in  this  respect,  under  the  direc- 
tion of  the  conservators  of  the  river  since  1879, 
but  it  is  believed  a  good  deal  yet  remains  to  be 
done.  This  is  a  matter  of  funds,  as  the  con- 
servators are  alive  to  the  advantage  which  would 
probably  ensue. 

Our  trout  in  this  section  of  the  Exe  run  about 
three  to  the  pound,  taking  them  all  round.  A 
pound  fish  is  not  to  be  had  every  day  ;  indeed, 
the  fisherman  need  not  expect  many  of  that  size 
in  the  season.  The  Tiverton  association,  which 
lies  next  above  us,  has  endeavoured  to  improve 
the  breed  of  trout  by  introducing  fry  of  the  larger 
Loch  Leven  species.  Our  association,  I  regret  to 
say,  did  not  see  their  way  to  do  this,  but  one  or 
two  private  members  have  stocked  two  or  three 
pools  at  their  own  expense.  We  have  not  yet  had 
time  to  see  the  result  of  this  experiment. 

How  often !  how  very  often !  it  is  that  the 
biggest  fish  of  the  day — or  what  was  esteemed  so  — 
through  some  piece  of  unnatural  bad  luck  effects 
his  escape.  It  is  a  constant  subject  of  complaint. 

As  I  have  spoken  of  the  viccissitudes  and 
chances  of  sport,  I  will  narrate  a  case  where,  for 
once,  the  reverse  happened. 


VIEW  BELOW  THORVERTON  BRIDGE.  165 

I  had  killed  a  nice  basket  of  trout  averaging 
nearly  half-a-pound,  and  including  one  of  close  on  a 
pound,  inthestretch  of  sluggish  water  just  where  the 
two  hours'  struggle  with  the  salmon  took  place. 

The  railway  bridge  of  the  Exe  Valley  Railway 
spans  the  river  j  ust  above  Thor verton  weir,  and 
there  is  a  very  pretty  look-out  down  the  river 
from  this  point,  defaced,  however,  by  the  new  and 
hideous  erection  of  Thorverton  mill. 

There  is  a  second  low  fall  below  the  upper 
weir,  and  a  fine  stream,  and  good  for  salmon, 
issues  from  it.  Indeed,  most  of  the  water  between 
that  and  the  imposing  structure  of  Thorverton 
bridge  holds  fish  in  a  good  season.  This  last 
spans  the  channel  of  the  river  in  one  high  arch 
with  smaller  ones  in  the  meadows  on  either  side. 
A  weary  trial  to  suffering  horseflesh  is  that  abrupt 
ascent  and  descent,  and  not  innocent  of  accidents. 
It  is  said  that  so  many  mere  temporary  structures 
had  been  washed  away  that  the  designers  deter- 
mined to  have  one  beyond  reach  of  floods. 

Beyond  lies  a  scene  essentially  English.  Park- 
like,  'wide-skirted  meads, 'interspersed  with  trees, 
with  the  glittering  river  winding  amongst  them, 
low  hills  bounding  the  distance. 


166  THE  TROUT  OF  THE  DAY. 

A  gentleman,  on  one  occasion,  hooked  a  good 
salmon  some  distance  above  the  bridge,  and  had 
to  take  the  deep  water  under  it,  in  pursuit  of  his 
fish.  Happily,  he  was  tall  and  strong,  and  a  good 
fisherman,  and  he  eventually  most  deservedly 
landed  his  fish  below,  one  of  between  seventeen  and 
eighteen  pounds. 

But  I  am  wandering  from  my  trout.  I  was 
returning  my  boat  from  fishing  just  above 
Thorverton  weir,  very  well  satisfied  with  my  morn- 
ing's sport,  when  I  hooked  a  nice  trout  close  in  to 
the  bank  between  the  weir  and  railway  bridge. 
He  would  not  respond  to  the  efforts  of  my  little 
single-handed  rod,  but  kept  low  down,  and  after 
a  few  minutes'  play  suddenly  became  stationary. 

Alas  !  I  knew  by  the  humming  character  of  the 
water  as  it  flowed  against  the  line  that  I  was 
fixed  in  a  snag.  I  regretted  having  lost  so  good 
a  fish  just  at  the  last,  but  there  was  no  help  for  it, 
and  I  told  my  lad  to  get  hold  of  the  snag  with 
the  boat-hook.  He  did  so,  out  of  about  six  feet 
of  water,  and  raised  it  to  the  surface,  and  there 
was  the  trout,  a  fine  fat  one,  still  attached.  I 
thought  this  a  piece  of  luck  indeed,  but  even  as 
he  was  about  to  get  the  landing-net  under  the 


A  LOST  TROUT  RECAPTURED.  167 

fish,  the  hold  gave,  and  down  sank  the  snag, 
snapping  my  casting-line  and  carrying  all  three 
flies  away. 

I  mournfully  took  out  my  fly-book,  and  set 
about  preparing  another  cast,  at  the  same  telling 
my  man  to  lay  hold  of  the  vexatious  snag  and  get 
rid  of  it.  After  some  probing  about  he  got  hold 
of  it  some  distance  below  its  original  position, 
again  raised  it,  and  we  had  the  satisfaction  of 
seeing  that  the  trout  was  still  there,  the  flies  being 
probably  caught  in  some  part  which  gave  to  his 
struggles  like  a  rod.  This  time  we  safely  landed 
him  and  I  recovered  my  flies.  He  weighed  half 
an  ounce  over  a  pound,  and  was  the  fish  of  the 
day,  though  one  other  ran  him  close.  So,  con- 
trary to  usage,  the  best  trout  of  the  day  was  not 
lost. 

It  is  all  these  varied  incidents  and  chances 
which  give  so  great  an  additional  charm  to  sport. 
The  cynical  genius,  who  defined  fishing  so  con- 
temptuously as  a  rod  with  a  fool  at  one  end  and 
a  worm  at  the  other,  did  not,  possibly  could  not, 
realize  what  underlies  sport,  considered  as  the  act 
by  which  man's  predatory  instincts  seek  to  destroy 
or  capture  wild  creatures.  What  knew  he  of  the 


168  A  NEW  READING  OF  OLD  LINES. 

deep  excitement  felt  by  the  salmon  fisher,  when 
mid  the  turmoil  of  waters  comes  the  boil  of  a 
rising  fish,  the  thrill  which  passes  through  him 
when  he  raises  his  rod,  feeling  the  plunge  down- 
wards of  the  hooked  fish,  and  then  the  rush,  the 
screeching  reel,  the  leap,  and  all  the  manifold 
details  attending  the  struggle  between  man  and 
the  noblest  fish  which  haunts  our  rivers  ?  What 
could  he  know  of  the  delicacy  required  in 
making  a  cast  above  a  rising  trout,  and  the  care 
and  precision  so  requisite  to  success  in  all  the 
manipulations  of  luring  and  playing  it  ? 

Then  the  surroundings,  the  scenery,  the 
numberless  interests  which  nature  offers  to  those 
who  seek  her  secluded  places  ! 

Will  the  reader  forgive  me,  if  I  offer  a  new 
arrangement  of  Wordsworth's  old  lines — 

*  A  fisher  by  a  river's  brim. 
A  foolish  fisher  was  to  him, 
And  he  was  nothing  more.' 

Nothing  more  !  because,  like  Peter  Bell,  his  per- 
ceptive faculties  failed  to  realise  anything  more. 
With  this  protest  I  think  I  may  well  conclude  my 
rambling  chat  on  fishing  matters ;  but,  before 
closing  the  chapter,  I  will  refer  to  some  of  those 
natural  enemies  of  sport  which  infest  our  river. 


THE  ENEMIES  OF  THE  TROUT.       169 

Otters  abound.  I  have  seen  them  in  the  middle 
of  the  day.  A  pack  of  otter-hounds  occasionally 
visit  our  water,  but  there  is  such  a  long  stretch 
of  deep  water  that  they  never  kill  just  here, 
though  above  they  sometimes  get  better  sport. 
Otters  destroy  trout  by  the  dozen  at  a  time. 
Several  friends  have  watched  them  fishing,  but  I 
only  know  personally  of  two  salmon  killed  by  them 
near  rny  house. 

Herons  are  frequently  to  be  seen  standing, 
solemn  and  watchful,  on  the  look-out  for  any 
passing  trout  who  may  incautiously  venture 
within  reach  of  the  accurate  dart  of  that  powerful 
bill.  We  are  rather  too  well  supplied  with  these 
beautiful  additions  to  the  river  landscape,  from 
the  heronry  at  Lord  Carnarvon's  place  of  Pixton, 
some  twenty  miles  up  the  river. 

Water-hens,  or  moor-hens,  breed  here  in 
numbers,  but  somehow,  so  far  as  I  am  concerned, 
go  free.  I  delight  in  watching  them  with  their 
broods,  but  feel  some  compunctious  visitings  at 
the  same  time,  for  I  fear  they  do  a  great  deal  of 
harm. 

I  have  something  of  the  same  sort  of  feeling 
with  respect  to  the  water-ousels.  We  have  plenty 


170  INTERVIEW  WITH  A  KING-FISHER, 

of  them,  and  they  have  the  reputation  of  being 
very  partial  to  salmon  spawn.  I  greatly  regret  it, 
for  they  are  great  pets  of  mine.  He  is  such  a 
perky  cocky  little  fellow  as  he  sits  on  some  bare 
stone  or  overhanging  branch,  jerking  up  his  tail, 
and  looking  so  energetic.  A  pair  built  last 
year,  on  one  of  the  stone  buttresses  under  the 
railway  bridge,  apparently  quite  unconcerned  at 
the  rumble  of  the  trains  passing  just  over  their 
heads. 

Their  allies,  the  king-fishers,  we  also  have,  and 
in  considerable  numbers.  A  pair  of  these  nested 
one  year  in  a  hole  in  the  bank  of  the  river  a  little 
way  above  my  house,  and  a  somewhat  unusual 
incident  happened  to  me  in  respect  of  them. 

I  was  seated  in  my  boat,  moored  in  a  little 
creek,  with  my  salmon-rod  protruding  beyond  the 
bushes  at  its  entrance.  A  king-fisher  flying  down 
just  outside  these  bushes  alighted  on  the  end  of 
my  rod,  and  balanced  himself  for  a  few  seconds, 
till,  catching  sight  of  myself  and  a  young  nephew 
who  was  with  me  in  the  boat,  it  flew  off  with  a 
startled  cry. 

I  mentioned  this  one  day  to  a  gentleman, 
and  fellow-angler,  and  he  said  that  an  almost 


ANOTHER  KING-FISHER.  171 

identical  occurrence  happened  to  him  on  our 
river.  He  was  dapirig  for  trout  well  concealed 
among  the  bushes,  when  a  king-fisher  similarly 
perched  on  his  short  rod,  and,  not  perceiving  him 
for  some  time,  sat  there. 


172 


CHAPTER  X. 

LAST  VISIT  TO  THE  MOOR. 

JOHN  MACKENZIE  A  BOTANIST— A  CAUTIOUS  STALK  BUT  NO  SHOT—A  LONG 
TRUDGE — THAT  4  PEAT  IN  THE  ATLANTIC  ' — THE  LEWSMEN — ONLY 
VESTIGES  OF  A  FINE  RACE — CHARACTERISTICS  OF  THE  PEOPLE 
GENERALLY — THE  CROFTER  QUESTION. 

THE  last  chapter  was  a  mere  interpolation  which, 
though  not  warranted  by  the  title  of  this  book,  I 
was  led  to  make  when  on  the  subject  of  fishing, 
and  I  hope  may  have  proved  to  be  of  sufficient 
interest  to  warrant  my  departure  from  the  strict 
text. 

I  will  conclude  the  first  part  by  returning  to 
the  Lews,  and  to  our  last  experience  of  life  and 
sport  and  moorland  rambles  in  that  '  land  of  the 
mountain  and  the  flood,'  and,  I  may  add,  of  peat 
and  loch,  two  prevailing  characteristics  of  its 
superficial  formation. 

Old  John  Mackenzie  was  quite  a  small  botanist 
in  his  way.  He  alone  knew  the  Gaelic  names  of 


JOHN  MACKENZIE  AS  A  BOTANIST.  173 

many  moorland  flowers  and  plants,  and  imparted 
his  information,  with  many  chuckles  of  satisfaction 
and  approval,  as  my  wife  repeated  the  names  at 
his  dictation.  In  return  we  tried  to  teach  him  to 
pronounce  English  words,  which  he  essayed  with 
considerable  success.  But  we  stumped  him  alto- 
gether with  '  eccremocarpus.'  After  many  in- 
effectual attempts,  he  gave  it  up,  saying,  '  Ma 
tongue  iss  too  stobborn.'  Whereupon  we  declared 
that  he  had  a  great  deal  more  English  than  he  ad- 
mitted, or  he  could  not  have  so  expressed  himself. 

On  the  last  occasion  of  my  visiting  the 
Caldershalls  in  search  of  deer,  I  was  accompanied 
by  my  wife.  She  often  stalked  with  me  when  not 
very  far  away,  and  enjoyed  the  excitement  of  the 
stalk  itself,  but  could  never  be  prevailed  on  to  see 
the  shot,  or  rather  its  effects. 

This  happened  to  be  a  lovely  day,  and  so  she 
came  hoping  to  see  some  deer  at  any  rate.  We 
moved  into  the  moor  by  the  route  I  have  before 
described,  and  were  crossing  a  little  piece  of  open 
ground  intending  to  creep  round  under  the  hillocks 
of  the  connecting  ridge  so  often  mentioned,  when 
Ian,  my  leader,  excitedly,  but  in  a  low  voice  ex- 
claimed, '*  Down,  lads,  down  for  your  lives.'  All 


174        DOWN  AMONG  THE  HEATHER. 

sank  down  where  they  stood,  like  Roderick  Dhu's 
followers,  my  wife  included,  leaving  me  in  my 
chair  upright  but  not  conspicuous,  as  I  had  a 
large  grey  green  cape  wrapped  round  me.  As 
many  as  could  crawled  behind  me,  making  them- 
selves as  small  as  they  conveniently  could. 

The  object  which  had  attracted  lan's  attention, 
and  caused  his  exclamation,  was  the  horns  of  a 
stag  which  he  saw  moving  along  just  above  a  brae 
behind  which  their  owner  was  sheltered.  Pre- 
sently he  came  full  in  view,  but  did  not  perceive 
us,  and  trotted  up  another  brae.  He  was  shortly 
joined  by  some  hinds,  and  all  commenced  to  feed. 
We  had  remained  perfectly  motionless,  and  escaped 
detection. 

John,  however,  wishing  to  get  his  glass  to  bear 
on  them,  wriggled  himself  into  the  partial  shelter 
of  a  hillock  and  was  followed  by  my  wife.  Thus 
we  all  remained  for  a  considerable  time,  and  the 
deer  sank  down  to  rest.  Very  careful,  indeed,  had 
the  l  leddy  '  to  be,  and  not  budge  an  inch.  At  any 
movement  John's  hand  was  held  up  in  a  warning 
manner,  or  laid  on  her  arm.  The  hinds  were 
uneasy,  however,  and  after  a  while  got  up,  and 
quietly  moved  off  over  the  ridge,  and  went  out  of 


AFTER  PROCEEDINGS.  175 

sight,  taking  the  stag  with  them.     This  was,  of 
course,  our  opportunity,  and  we  were  quickly  on 
the  move  and  got  into  more  sheltered  ground.* 
Thence  John  and  Donald  proceeded  to  ascertain 
what  had  become  of  the  deer. 

They  soon  returned,  and,  as  my  wife  expressed 
a  wish  to  go  and  have  a  look  at  them,  went  to  do 
so,  before  I  proceeded  on  my  way.  We  all  soon 
reassembled,  however,  and  then  commenced  the 
important  business  of  the  stalk.  It  was  very 
amusing  to  watch  John,  and  his  efforts  to  assist 
the  i  leddy '  over  difficult  places.  Full  of  the 
suppressed  excitement  of  being  in  the  vicinity  of 
the  game  and  conducting  the  stalk,  and  at  the 
same  time  anxious  to  be  careful  of  the  '  leddy ' 
and  get  her  along  with  us,  he  sometimes  was  more 
vigorous  in  his  attempts  to  help  than  he  imagined. 
On  one  occasion  he  seized  her,  and  by  main  force 
seemed  to  chuck  her  over  a  stream.  Then  he 
would  seize  her  by  the  arm,  and  hurry  her  along. 
But  it  was  done  with  the  best  intentions  at  being 
gentle. 

Yet  it  was  all  to  no  purpose,  so  far  as  rny  getting 
a  shot  was  concerned.  We  came  on  some  hinds 
and  calves  separate  from  the  herd,  for  the  stag 


176  A  GORGEOUS  SUNSET. 

and  his  companions  had  joined  a  number  of  others ; 
but  their  moving  off  alarmed  the  objects  of  our 
stalk,  which  were  collected  a  little  further  round 
the  hill,  and  all  went  off. 

We  had  a  long  trudge  afterwards,  and  not  far 
from  the  top  of  Caldershall  Beg  I  fired  at  and 
missed  a  stag  which  suddenly  appeared  showing 
only  its  head  and  neck.  On  this  occasion  John 
actually  lifted  my  wife  off  the  ground  and  held 
her  up,  so  that  she  should  get  a  sight  of  the 
beast. 

Altogether  we  were  unsuccessful,  and  eventually 
descended  to  the  road,  after  going  right  round  Cal- 
dershall Beg.  But  we  were  repaid  for  our  exertions 
by  a  very  glorious  view  we  had  under  conditions 
of  atmosphere  which  were  dazzling  in  gorgeous 
colouring.  The  brilliant  but  broken  light  of  a  sun 
setting  amongst  great  uneven  masses  of  purple 
cloud,  tinged  with  every  variety  of  tint  of  pink 
and  red  and  orange,  illuminated  portions  of  hill 
and  brae  and  loch.  One  felt  imbued  with  a 
bewitching  sense  of  exquisite  stormy  beauty,  and 
impressed  by  the  mystery  of  what  lies  unrevealed 
in  the  deep  darkening  shadows  of  hill  and  cloud. 
That  was  our  last  tramp  over  the  rugged  and 


THE  c  PEAT  IN  THE  ATLANTIC.'       177 

more  elevated  moor,  and  it  was  one  a  sense  of 
whose  beauty  remains  with  us  still. 

In  this  little  sketch  of  autumn  out-door  life  and 
sport  in  the  Lews,  that  '  peat  in  the  Atlantic,'  as 
it  has  been  described,  I  have  restricted  myself  to 
representing  it  in  its  sporting  and  picturesque 
aspects  only,  and  refrained  from  entering  on  the 
deeper  subject  of  the  social  condition,  habits,  and 
customs  of  the  people.  This  does  not  indeed 
enter  into  the  scope  of  a  book  of  this  kind.  With 
respect  to  such  places  as  the  standing  stones 
of  Callarnish,  and  other  '  cromlechs '  and  places 
of  interest,  I  must  refer  to  the  guide-books.  My 
object  has  been  to  keep  clear  of  the  ordinary 
tourist-trodden  ways. 

Neither  do  I  propose  entering  at  length  into 
the  vexed  crofter  question,  did  I  feel  capable  of 
doing  so.  But  yet  I  cannot  dismiss  it  without 
one  word,  for  indeed  it  was  to  this  very  Loch 
Roag  that  a  gunboat  was  ordered  the  year 
before  last,  to  check  some  disposition  to  lawlessness 
which  had  been  displayed  by  the  people  of  Voltas 
close  to  that  c  Reef  I  have  described. 

A  little  'bothie,'  at  the  head  of  Drovenish  Bay, 
then  being  built  by  my  successor  at  Scaliscro,  was 

N 


178  DESTRUCTION  OF  DROVENISH  BOTHIE. 

also  destroyed  one  night  while  in  course  of 
erection.  It  seemed  to  be  an  aimless  piece  of 
mischief  from  which  no  advantage  could  be 
derived  by  anybody.  I  have  heard,  too,  that  the 
dyke  which  .fenced  off  the  cleared  part  of  Scaliscro 
has  been  systematically  destroyed  and  sheep 
driven  over. 

I  am  not  aware  that  the  men  of  Bernera,  who 
hold  the  grazing  on  the  other  side,  or  others  there, 
could  establish  any  right  to  this,  for  it  must  have 
belonged  to  the  now  deserted  village  of  Strome. 
It  is  the  inhabitants  of  that  village,  wherever  they 
may  now  be,  who  have  suffered,  and  not  Bernera, 
an  island  wholly  disconnected  with  it ;  and  no 
doubt,  were  the  village  resettled,  its  inhabitants 
would  themselves  have  resisted  any  such  attempt 
on  the  part  of  the  Bernera  men  to  dispossess 
them.  This  case  only  points  the  moral. 

I  am  well  aware  that  many  good  and  honest 
men  have  taken  up  this  question  in  the  purest 
spirit  of  philanthropy,  and  an  earnest  desire  to 
see  justice  done  to  a  most  deserving  class  of  men. 
The  aim  of  those  who  honestly  desire  to  redress 
real  grievances  must  command  the  respectful  con- 
sideration of  dispassionate  observers,  even  though 


A  FEW  WORDS  ON  THE  CROFTER  QUESTION.    179 

they  may  differ  with  them  both  as  to  amount  of 
injury  and  means  of  redress.  Personally,  I  have 
a  great  feeling  of  interest  in,  and  sympathy  for, 
this  simple,  brave,  and  struggling  people,  and  it  is 
surely  for  the  common  weal  of  the  empire  that 
so  fine,  manly,  and  generally  law-abiding  a  race 
should  be  firmly  attached  to  the  soil  they  love  so 
well,  in  as  large  numbers  as  is  compatible  with 
justice  to  others  and  the  soil's  capacity  to  bear 
them.  Human  beings,  and  especially  human 
beings  of  such  a  type  as  these  Hebridean  men, 
are  of  more  consideration  than  grouse  arid  deer,  or 
even  sheep. 

The  thoughtful  man  can  hardly  fail  to  feel  this, 
as  he  stands  on  the  site  of  some  deserted  village, 
with  its  ruined  hovels  and  un tilled  crofts.  Especi- 
ally is  this  brought  home  to  him  when  wandering 
among  the  green  and  beautiful,  but  now  depopu- 
lated glens  of  Skye.  All  the  vestiges  that  remain 
of  a  hardy  and  vigorous  race,  now  scattered  over 
the  face  of  the  earth,  are  to  be  found  in  the  green 
strips  of  land  and  desolate  stone  heaps  which  now 
represent  what  once  were  cottages  full  of  life 
and  animation.  But  it  is  sheep  which  have  dis- 
possessed them,  not  grouse  and  deer,  which  have 

N  2 


180  WRONGFUL  CLAIMANTS. 

comparatively  done  little  to  decrease  the  popula- 
tion of  the  islands.  Indeed,  the  emigration  must 
have  taken  place  before  Scotch  shootings  became 
so  valuable. 

However,  the  wrong  that  has  been  done  is  of 
the  past.  Who  could  now  recall  these  lost  tribes 
to  their  ancient  holdings?  These  little  village 
communities,  as  such,  are  extinct,  and,  too  fre- 
quently, it  is  those  who  have  never  held  rights 
there  which  set  up  a  claim  and  are  encouraged  by 
ignorant  agitators.  I  am  riot  now  referring  to  what 
may  be  done  to  improve  the  condition  and  secure 
the  rights  of  existing  crofters,  now  in  occupation 
of  their  holdings.  Doubtless  something  may  well 
be  effected  in  this  direction ;  but  I  cannot  see  that 
they  actually  possess  any  sort  of  abstract  right 
to  inherit  the  ground  from  which  others  have  been 
ousted.  It  seems  to  me  this  is  a  matter  more  of 
friendly  good- will  and  feeling  on  the  part  of  the 
proprietors  than  of  actual  justice.  Where  rights, 
or  supposed  rights,  have  been  abstracted  from 
existing  occupants  is  of  course  another  matter 
into  which  I  cannot  here  enter. 

But  I  fear  that,  whether  with  any  rightful  claim 
or  without  it,  a  spirit  of  appropriation  is  being 


SPIRIT  OF  APPROPRIATION  BEING  FOSTERED.     181 

fostered  which  is  leading  to  the  demoralisation  of 
the  people,  and  a  moral  obliquity  which  may 
develop  into  illegality  and  wrong,  and  lead  to  their 
own  ruin.  The  action  of  the  fanatical  or  one- 
sided zealots,  or,  worse  still,  that  of  the  unscru-" 
pulous  professional  agitator,  ever  keen  to  rouse 
clashing  interests,  or  stir  up  ill  feeling  between 
class  and  class,  may  lead  to  the  resuscitation  of 
that  lawless  spirit  which  once  pervaded  the 
people,  and  which  it  has  taken  generations  to 
change  into  the  honest,  God-fearing,  law-abiding 
impulses  by  which  they  have  now  so  long  been 
distinguished.  These  agitators,  trading  on  the 
simplicity  of  the  people,  would  have  them  demand, 
''per  fas  aut  nefasj  what  was  never  theirs,  or,  if 
part  theirs,  urge  them  to  seize  the  whole.  It  is 
not  such  a  course  as  this  that  will  bring  clashing 
interests  into  unison,  or  rectify  past  wrong. 

But  I  must  no  longer  trespass  on  the  reader's 
patience,  or  attempt  to  dilate  on  a  subject  which 
ought  to  be  considered  pretty  well  thrashed  out 
by  those  interested  on  one  side  or  the  other,  and 
more  competent  to  discuss  it  than  I  am.  Only  it 
pains  me  to  see  these  poor  people  led  astray. 

I  will  conclude  by  remarking  that  crime  in  the 


182  CATTLE-STEALERS  TRACKED. 

Lews  13  remarkably  distinguished  by  its  absence. 
Formerly  notorious  for  evil  living  of  all  descrip- 
tions, the  Lews  people  are  now  a  moral,  honest 
race  of  men,  retaining,  in  common  with  all  High- 
landers, a  moderate  affection  for  a  glass  of 
whisky,  and  not  averse  to  dancing  and  otherwise 
enjoying  themselves,  but  still  a  douce,  sober 
people,  if  not  led  astray  by  interested  and  un- 
scrupulous persons.  I  believe  it  is  to  the  influ- 
ence of  the  clergy,  both  of  the  Established  and 
the  Free  Kirks,  that  this  great  change  is  mainly 
attributable.  All  honour  to  those  worthy  men 
who  have  effected  such  a  transformation. 

As  a  case  in  point,  where  the  exception  cer- 
tainly proves  the  rule,  I  will  once  more  quote 
from  a  letter  of  John's  in  1884. 

4  I  believe,  sir,  you  have  seen  in  the  papers 
about  the  heifer  was  stolen  from  Maclean  Gisla 
opposite  here  by  two  young  lads.  It  is  not  in 
any  account  of  any  kept  in  the  Lews,  been  traced 
out  so  well.  I  was  one  of  the  party  that  was  on 
the  track.  We  followed  the  track  for  nine  miles 
till  we  came  upon  where  they  slaughter  the  poor 
beast,  and  from  thence  they  were  traced  to  their 
homes.  There  is  eighty  years  since  such  a  theft 


THE  PAKK  RAID.  183 

was  committed  in  the  Lews,  and  T  hope  it  will  be 
the  last  one.' 

Cordially  do  I  echo  John's  hope,  and,  in  addi- 
tion, that  the  lawless  spirit  which  once  existed 
may  not  be  resuscitated.  With  this,  T  raise  my 
bonnet  arid  bid  adieu  to  my  friends  among  this 
worthy  people. 

P.S. — Jan.,  1888. — The  foregoing  was  written 
before  the  late  raid  on  the  Park  forest,  and  the 
acts  of  lawlessness  which  have  succeeded  that 
initiatory  attempt.  Possibly,  before  this  appears 
in  print,  what  I  have  said  may  be  still  more 
emphasised.  Very  grieved  have  I  been  to  see  the 
effect  produced  on  the  minds  of  this  simple  and 
credulous  people  by  an  unscrupulous  and  alien 
agitation ;  for  I  believe  that  more  subtle  and 
designing  influences  lie  masked  behind  the  out- 
ward expression  of  the  people  and  their  spokesmen. 
Would  that  these  instigators  to  lawlessness  could 
be  punished  in  place  of  their  dupes  ! 

The  crops  were  unusually  good  last  season,  but 
the  failure  of  the  herring  harvest  on  the  east  coast 
of  Scotland,  on  which  so  many  depend,  must 
have  sent  home  many  a  poor  fellow  without  the 


184  ILL  RETURNS  FOR  LADY  MATHESON's  KINDNESS. 

sum  of  money  on  which  he  relied  for  his  year's 
expenses,  and  indeed  out  of  pocket  in  respect  of 
that  expended  in  the  search  for  employment. 
Much  destitution,  I  fear,  must  exist,  but  even  this 
cannot  justify  the  resort  to  such  extreme  measures 
or  to  lawless  appropriation.  No  recent  action  has 
deprived  anyone  of  land  ;  I  believe  evictions  for 
sheep  farms  or  shootings  have  not  taken  place 
during  the  proprietorship  of  the  late  Sir  James 
or  Lady  Matheson,  and,  had  not  the  former 
brought  all  his  resources  to  the  help  of  the  famish- 
ing islanders  in  the  terrible  famine  year  of  1846 — 7, 
what  would  have  become  of  them  ?  All  this 
seems  to  be  forgotten,  as  well  as  the  many  efforts 
made  to  improve  their  condition,  and  the  deep 
interest  Lady  Matheson  has  always  displayed  in 
their  welfare,  and  the  sacrifices  she  has  made  for 
them. 

The  effect  of  the  Park  raid  was  ludicrously  ex- 
aggerated. Some  announced  the  death  of 
hundreds  of  deer,  and  that  boat-loads  were 
shipped  to  Harris.  There  is  reason  to  believe  that 
but  very  few,  comparatively,  were  killed.  Un- 
practised shots  may  blaze  away  a  deal  of  ammuni- 
tion with  but  little  to  show  for  it.  Still  the 


REMEDIES  WITHOUT   INJUSTICE.  185 

purpose  was  the  same,  however  limited  the  real 
injury  done,  or  small  the  result  achieved. 

Most  earnestly  do  I  hope  that  means  may  be 
found  to  reconcile  existing  differences,  and  gener- 
ally improve  the  condition  of  the  people  ;  whether 
by  state  assistance  for  harbours  and  fisheries,  by 
emigration,  or  other  measures,  without  injustice 
to  established  rights. 

From  an  Imperial  point  of  view,  any  unneces- 
sary expatriation  of  the  islanders  of  the  western 
coast  would  be,  as  it  has  been,  a  national  loss. 
These  islands,  Skye  especially,  once  formed  a 
depot  from  which  was  drawn  some  of  the  finest 
fighting  material  in  the  British  Army.  At  present, 
in  the  Lews,  there  is  a  considerable  number  of 
Navy  Reserve  men.  But,  however  desirable  it 
may  be  to  retain  such  valuable  material  for  the 
use  of  the  public  services,  the  land  cannot  sup- 
port it.  Even  were  landlords  willing  to  surrender 
their  rights  at  the  dictation  of  those  who  have  no 
sort  of  sympathy  with  them,  the  congestion  must 
be  relieved  ere  long,  and  the  difficulty  to  be  faced 
only  postponed. 


PART  II. 


INDIAN    JUNGLES 


189 


CHAPTER  1. 

SOME  REMARKS  ON  INDIAN  SPORT. 

JUNGLE-LIFE — NOT  A  RECORD  OF  SLAUGHTER — ONLY  ONCE  SHOT  FROM 
AN  ELEPHANT — MR.  MORAY  BROWN'S  PLEASANT  REMINISCENCES — 
HOG-HUNTING — MY  FIRST  PIG — MY  FIRST  BEAR — MY  FIRST  TIGER — 
SHOOTING  BIG  GAME  A  LESS  SIMPLE  MATTER  IN  MUZZLE-LOADING 

DAYS. 

• 

i  IT'S  a  far  cry  '  from  the  grey  skies  and  rnoor- 
larid  wastes  of  Ultima  Thule  to  the  gorgeous  East. 
Sport c  in  the  spiced  Indian  air '  is  obviously  a  very 
different  sort  of  thing  to  that  I  have  described 
among  the  cold  and  stormy  latitudes  of  the 
northern  Hebrides,  but  dear  is  its  pursuit  in  both 
to  the  keen  hunter — a  title  to  which,  I  think,  I 
may  lay  claim. 

In  two  former  works  on  Indian  sport,  I  adopted 
the  plan  of  narrating  incidents  of  sport  and 
adventure  under  assumed  names,  embodying  in  a 
continuous  narrative  the  results  of  several  expe- 
ditions, and  also  of  the  experiences  of  others 


190  MY  FORMER  WORKS  ON  SPORT. 

besides  myself.  I  now  propose  to  drop  this  veil, 
and  assume  the  personal  I,  as  in  the  preceding 
pages,  introducing  at  the  same  time  the  other 
real  actors  in  the  scenes  described.  My  former 
method  had  its  advantages,  especially  that  of 
being  less  obtrusive  with  the  personal  pronoun  ; 
but  it  was  objected  to  by  some,  as  indicating 
neither  the  actual  locality  of  the  scenes  described, 
nor  presenting  the  corporeal  presence  of  the 
genuine  actors.  Fictitious  places  and  names,  it 
was  said,  were  out  of  place  in  a  narrative  of  sport. 
I  need  hardly  say  that  the  experiences  I  am 
about  to  narrate  were  anterior  to  the  accident 
referred  to  in  the  first  chapter.  These  sketches 
of  jungle  life  and  incidents  of  sport,  I  desire  to 
represent  not  as  I  should  realize  them  now,  but 
under  the  more  vivid  impressions  conceived  at  the 
time.  Many  excellent  works  on  Indian  sport  have 
appeared  since  I  occupied  my  un desired  leisure 
by  the  compilation  of  those  I  have  referred  to, 
and  I  cannot  now  claim  to  offer  anything  ex- 
ceptionally startling  or  sensational ;  but  it  has 
always  appeared  to  me  that  a  genuine  description 
of  the  varied  incidents  attending  jungle  life  and 
jungle  hunting  usually  contains  some  elements  of 


AUTHORS  ON  SPORT.  191 

interest — at  any  rate,  to  brother  enthusiasts.  As 
in  war,  so  in  sport,  there  is  always  some  novelty  of 
incident. 

A  mere  record  of  slaughter  is  not  my  aim. 
My  ambition  is  rather  to  take  the  reader  along 
with  me  to  the  few  selected  scenes  and  adventures 
described,  and  evoke — if  such  be  my  good  fortune 
— an  interest  in  both,  and  all  that  relates  to  them. 

Rice,  Forsyth,  Gordon-Gumming,  Sterndale, 
Sanderson,  and  many  writers  of  more  recent  date, 
and  with  a  larger  experience  in  big-game  shooting 
than  fell  to  my  lot,  ha,ve  given  to  the  world  many 
graphic  descriptions  of  the  find  and  death  of 
numerous  tigers,  and  of  the  sport  generally  as 
pursued  by  small  parties  of  English  gentlemen  on 
foot  or  with  two  or  three  elephants  ;  while  the 
grander  and  more  imposing  section  of  this  sport  as 
carried  on  in  Lower  Bengal,  with  long  lines  of 
elephants,  has  not  been  without  able  exponents. 
Of  all  the  pomp  and  circumstance  of  glorious  war 
as  thus  conducted  against  the  beasts  of  the  jungle 
I  personally  know  nothing,  either  in  respect  of 
game  for  rifle  or  spear. 

During  my  Indian  career,  I  never  was  in  a 
position  or  locality  to  join  such.  I  once,  and 


192       SHOOTING  BIG  GAME  ON  FOOT. 

once  only,  shot  from  an  elephant — a  borrowed 
one — and  on  that  single  occasion,  being  alone, 
was  fortunate  enough  to  bag  two  tigers,  and  lose 
a  third,  in  the  course  of  the  day  on  which  I  used 
it. 

The  humbler  aspirations  of  my  comrades  and 
myself  were  confined  to  bagging  game  by  such 
means  as  lay  to  our  hand,  and  suited  our  purses. 
This  necessitated  tracking,  the  use  of  beaters, 
and  our  own  movements  being  conducted  on  foot 
with  respect  to  game  for  the  rifle.  So-called 
shooting  tigers  on  foot,  however,  involves  little 
more  risk  than  from  elephants,  except  when 
following  up  wounded  animals,  or  changing 
positions.  Trees,  rocks,  any  coign  of  vantage  at 
hand,  are  utilised,  not  only  to  render  the  hunter 
more  secure,  but  to  give  him  a  greater  command 
over  the  jungle  and  the  places  of  exit. 

Mr.  Moray  Brown  *  has  recently  given  us  some 
very  pleasant  and  graphic  descriptions,  among 
others,  of  the  sport  as  connected  with  tying-up  of 
cattle  to  attract  the  tiger,  and  then  taking  advan- 
tage of  the  kill  by  waiting  for  him  at  night  in 

*  <  Shikar  Sketches,  with  Notes  on  Indian  Field-Sports.'  (Hurst 
and  Blackett.) 


SCOUTING,  MARKING  AND  TRACKING.  193 

machans,  or  beating  him  out   from   his   retreat. 

My  small  experiences  were  confined,  for  the 
most  part,  to  finding  the  game  by  tracking,  or 
else  by  marking  the  beast  to  a  patch  of  j  angle, 
ravine,  or  river-bed,  and  then,  when  feasible, 
ringing  him,  that  is,  seeing  that  no  fresh  tracks 
led  away  from  the  place.  In  the  ghauts  of  the 
Mahratta  country  the  practice  of  marking  or 
scouting  prevails.  Men  are  posted  in  the  early 
morn  on  the  hill-tops  above  jungles  frequented 
by  game,  and  watch  any  moving  below  on  its 
return  from  its  nightly  rambles,  till  it  seeks 
refuge  for  the  day  in  some  ravine  or  thicket,  or 
other  jungle  fastness.  Marking  and  tracking 
are  combined  where  necessary  and  feasible.  Stalk- 
ing is  only  possible  in  some  favoured  districts, 
where  the  openness  of  the  country  or  forest  renders 
it  possible,  and  this  hardly  applies  to  tigers,  except 
under  very  exceptional  conditions. 

With  regard  to  hog-hunting,  my  experience  has 
been  larger  and  more  varied.  No  single  year  of 
my  residence  in  India  was  passed  without  my 
joining  hunting-parties,  even  when  not  quartered 
in  a  hunting  country.  When  I  was  so,  my  cattle 
were  never  long  idle.  In  this  sport  I  may  lay 

o 


194  DIFFERENT  FOKMS  OF  SPORT. 

claim,  perhaps,  to  more  than  average  experience 
and  fair  success,  so  far  as  rough-country  hunting  is 
concerned.  I  cannot  venture  to  compare,  in  point 
of  numbers  slain,  with  those  whose  experience  has 
been  gained  on  the  grass-lands  and  mud-flats  of 
Lower  Bengal,  with  princely  lines  of  elephants  to 
beat  out  the  game.  To  those  accustomed  to  this 
splendid  sport  as  it  exists  in  that  country  and 
some  other  parts,  where  pig  are  to  be  found  in 
innumerable  quantities,  on  level  ground,  and  the 
best  and  most  valuable  Arab  horses  procurable  are 
employed,  the  rough  and  ready  but  more  difficult 
form  of  the  sport  as  pursued  in  my  young  days, 
in  some  countries  by  tracking,  and  on  very  in- 
different mounts,  may  seem  inferior.  I  think 
otherwise,  and  shall  have  something  to  say  on 
this  head  further  on,  for  it  always  appeared  to  me 
to  be  the  most  sporting  form  of  the  sport. 

I  find  that  my  first  pig,  my  first  bear,  and  my 
first  tiger,  or  rather  those  I  first  assisted  in  killing, 
give  fair  examples  of  what  I  have  said  above,  and 
I  therefore  select  them  for  first  description  in 
order  of  sequence. 

I  then  propose,  by  narration  of  incidents  in  hog- 
hunting,  to  present  the  different  aspects  of  that 


REGARDING  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS.  195 

sport  as  existing  in  the  various  countries  wherein 
I  had  experience,  viz.,  the  Deccan,  Cutch,  Scinde, 
Gujerat  and  Rajpootana. 

One  word  as  to  the  illustrations.  My  object 
has  been  to  give  the  general  spirit  of  the  scene 
and  the  nature  of  the  country.  I  am  well  aware 
that  my  feeble  pencil  may  often  be  sadly  wanting 
in  correct  drawing  and  in  artistic  composition. 
I  hope  the  reader  will  excuse  this,  and  look  more 
to  the  sporting  incident  itself  and  the  spirit  with 
which  it  is  represented. 

It  is  long  since  I  saw  a  wild  hog  in  the  flesh, 
and  my  mind  misgives  me  sometimes  that  I  have 
depicted  them  with  heads  too  large,  and  also  per- 
haps too  high  at  the  withers.  This  is  an  extreme  I 
may  have  been  led  into  from  seeing  them  so 
often  drawn  more  as  resembling  farm-yard  sows 
with  curly  tails,  or  native  pigs,  yclept  c  gaum- 
ties/  than  veritable  wild  boars.  Smoothness, 
sleekness,  and  placidity  are  the  very  reverse  of  the 
rugged,  savage  old  jungle  boar,  who  carries  his 
tufted  flag  straight  out. 

I  must  also  apologise  for  my  horses.  I  suppose 
I  ought  to  endeavour  to  depict  them  as  represent- 
ed in  action  by  instantaneous  photography.  But  I 

o2 


196  THE  WEAPON  I  USED. 

cannot.  Whatever  instantaneous  photography  may 
do,  my  eye — and  I  presume  that  of  others  also— is 
incapable  of  catching  those  ludicrous  combinations 
of  legs,  arid  the  apparently  distorted  antics  which 
science  thus  reveals.  I  cannot  realize  them  and 
have  therefore  fain  adopted  ,the  more  ordinary 
positions  as  realized  by  the  human  eye-sight,  or 
rendered  intelligible  to  it  by  custom,  so  far  as  my 
inartistic  pencil  can^delineate  them. 

It  may  seem  antiquated  to  revert  to  so  remote 
a  period  as  muzzle-loading  days :  but  there  is  this 
to  be  said,  that,  with  the  tools  and  appliances  then 
in  use,  the  bagging  of  large  game  was  a  less  simple 
matter  than  it  is  now,  when  fine  batteries 
of  heavy  breechloaders  have  replaced  the  far 
feebler  muzzle-loaders  so  often  employed  by  the 
rough  and  ready  young  sportsman  of  that  period. 

For  many  years,  to  the  last  of  my  stay  in  India 
indeed — my  ordinary  weapons  were  a  fourteen 
gauge  smooth-bore,  which  threw  bullet  very  well, 
and  a  fifteen  gauge  single  rifle.  These  were  pet 
weapons  and  I  habitually  used  them.  They  were 
sometimes  supplemented  on  expeditions  by  an 
additional  gun,  but  not  of  a  class  more  powerful. 


PAST  AND  PRESENT  EQUIPMENT.       197 

I  sometimes  wonder  that  accidents  were  not  of 
more  frequent  occurrence,  and  that  so  much  was 
done  by  young  and  inexperienced  officers  and 
others  who  could  not  afford  expensive  outfits. 
Others  have  given  much  excellent  advice  on  the 
subject  of  modern  batteries,  arid  other  sporting  re- 
quirements and  equipment,  and  I  shall  not  venture 
to  enter  on  that  subject.  I  only  refer  to  the  past, 
for  indeed — 

4  Those  days  came  back  on  me  like  recollected  music.' 

I  only  wish  I  could  render  them  as  attractive  to 
the  reader  as  their  narration  is  to  the  writer. 
I  should  add  that  I  have  adopted  the  system 
of  nomenclature  in  vogue  at  the  period. 


198 


CHAPTER  II. 

HOG  HUNTING. 

A  YOUNG  INDIAN  SOLDIER'S  FIRST  HORSE — THE  NUGGUR  HUNT — THE 
ARKOLA  GROVE — SPORTING  CONVERSATION— THE  MEET— BEATING 
GROVE  FOR  PIG — *  THE  PIG  DIFFICULT  TO  DRIVE,  WERY  ' — THE  RUN— 
MY  FIRST  PIG — THE  SQUIRE'S  DANGER — THE  DAY'S  BAG. 

I  WAS  a  mature  soldier  of  some  four  months' 
length  of  service,  and  had  just  passed  my  drill. 
My  services  to  my  country  had  been  of  so  arduous 
a  description  in  accomplishing  that  necessary  and 
important  function  that  I  considered  myself  as 
fully  justified  in  applying  for  ten  days'  leave  to 
join  a  monsoon  meet  of  the  celebrated  '  Nuggur 
Hunt.'  This  it  had  been  decided  to  hold  at  the 
equally  celebrated  l  Arkola  date-grove,'  some  forty 
miles  from  the  station  of  Ahmednuggur  in  the 
Deccan,  the  scene  of  my  earliest  military  labours. 

Fortunately  Colonel  B ,   my    commanding 

officer,  himself  a  keen  sportsman,  and  intending 
also  to  join  the  meet,  took  a  similar  view  with 


MY  FIRST  ARAB  HORSE.  199 

myself.  At  least,  his  sympathies  with  a  young 
and  aspiring  sportsman  assumed  the  form  of 
approval ;  so  my  leave  was  granted. 

A  dear,  good  old  friend  had  assisted  me  in  pro- 
viding myself  with  a  low-priced  Arab  Galloway 
from  the  Bombay  stables,  and  T  spent  a  good  deal 
of  time  in  the  society  of  that  animal,  for  I  was 
constantly  in  and  about  his  stable,  personally  in- 
specting his  rations  of  grain  at  feeding-time, 
and  superintending  all  other  arrangements,  and 
seeing  that  he  was  not  neglected  in  his  toilet. 

He  was  rather  a  flat-sided,  washy  little  beast, 
but  with  some  '  caste,'  fairish  speed,  and  decent 
jumping  powers.  These  I  took  every  opportunity 
of  cultivating,  and  it  was  generally  over  the  milk- 
bash  hedge  that  surrounded  the  mess  compound, 
and  not  through  the  gate,  that  our  entry  and  exit 
were  made  in  the  daytime.  Such  as  he  was  he 
carried  me  pretty  well,  for  I  was  in  my  teens,  and 
light  in  carcase,  as  in  heart  and  pocket,  in  those 
days. 

The  horse  of  a  young  subaltern  of  active  habits 
was  not  likely  to  suffer  from  those  diseases  gener- 
ated by  prolonged  inactivity  or  confinement  to 
stables,  and,  in  fact,  mine  was  as  hard  as  nails,  and 


200  A  DEAR  OLD  FRIEND. 

quite  fit  for  the  hunting-field.  To  this  noble 
quadruped  I  had  added  a  small  tattoo  somewhat 
to  lessen  the  toils  of  the  former,  and  undertake 
the  lighter  duties  of  a  young  sportsman's  needs  in 
taking  him  out  shooting.  It  was  with  a  glow 
of  great  pride  and  gratification  that  I  watched  this 
stud,  correctly  enveloped  in  their  light  clothing, 
conducted  out  from  the  cantonments  on  its  way  to 
Arkola. 

Only  one  other,  besides  the  colonel  of  the  regi- 
ment to  which  I  was  then  attached,  joined  this 
hunting-party.  He  was  of  the  same  distinguished 
rank  as  myself,  being  yet  an  ensign,  though  one  of 
some  two  or  three  years'  service,  and  was  looked 
up  to  and  venerated  by  me  accordingly.  His 
mature  experience  was  always  at  my  service,  for 
we  were  good  friends,  and  became  still  faster  ones 
after  this  meet.  With  me  he  always  went  by  the 
name  of  Charlie,  and  I  also  with  him.  This,  I 
suppose,  was  on  the  lucus  e  non  lucendo  principle, 
for  his  name  was  William  and  mine  was  James. 
So  long  as  I  remained  in  the  service,  and  after,- 
that  friendship  was  always  to  be  relied  on.  A  very 

true  and  sincere  friend  was  the  Charlie  S of 

my  youthful  days. 


FIRST  EXPERIENCE  OF  CAMP  LIFE.  201 

I  managed  to  blunder  my  way  out  to  Arkola 
on  animals  borrowed  or  hired,  and  a  party  of 
over  a  dozen  sat  down  to  dinner  that  night. 
Besides  our  contingent  and  one  or  two  gunners 
also  from  Nuggur,  it  included  one  or  two  men 
from  the  Poona  garrison,  an  officer  of  the  Hyderabad 
Contingent,  several  staff-officers  from  Bombay — 
among  whom  was  the  man  afterwards  so  distin- 
guished as  a  soldier  and  political  officer,  Sir  Neville 
Chamberlain — a  Bombay  civilian  or  two,  and  the 
c  squire.'  The  last,  a  captain  of  infantry  employed 
in  the  police  department  in  the  Nuggur  district, 
had  obtained  his  sobriquet  by  emulating  the 
well-known  feat  of  Mr.  Osbaldeston  on  an  Indian 
race-course  and  with  Indian  means. 

Colonel  B — —  was  requested  to  assume  com- 
mand in  the  field.  He  was  an  old  and  experienced 
pig-sticker,  and,  being  in  somewhat  infirm  health, 
came  more  as  a  looker-on  than  as  desirous  of 
taking  an  active  part  in  the  tussles  for  the  spear. 

This  was  my  first  experience  of  jungle  camp- 
life,  and  all  was  novel  and  something  more  than 
delightful.  I  acquired  a  decided  taste  for  it,  a 
taste  frequently  gratified  in  after  years  both  in 
sport  and  war. 


202  THE  MORNING  INSPECTION. 

Of  course  there  was  a  deal  of  sporting  conver- 
sation after  dinner  to  which  I  greedily  listened  ; 
and  I  have  no  doubt,  though  I  cannot  exactly 
recollect,  that  the  c  Boar '  and  other  time-honoured 
hunting-songs  were  sung.  There  was  no  very  late 
sitting,  however,  for  the  youngsters  followed  the 
example  of  the  elders  of  the  party,  and,  valuing 
cool  heads  and  steady  nerves  in  the  field  on  the 
morrow,  went  early  to  their  sleeping-tents. 

Charlie  and  I  were  early  astir  on  the  following 
morning,  and  strolling  down  the  lines  of  horses 
at  their  pickets,  casting  our  eyes  over  them  as 
they  underwent  their  morning  toilets  at  the  hands 
of  their  ghora wallahs  (grooms).  It  was  evident, 
even  to  my  inexperience,  that  there  was  cattle 
there  with  whom  poor  little  Gamecock  would  cut 
but  a  sorry  figure,  if  it  came  to  racing  for  the 
first  spear  on  the  flat.  Some  were  in  first-rate 
condition,  indeed  were  either  ex-racers  or  horses  in 
partial  training.  But  what  astonished  me  among 
some  of  the  veterans  was  the  scarred  and  battered 
appearance  of  their  legs,  in  some  instances  quite 
disfiguring  them.  This  was  explained  to  me  as 
the  result  of  hard  galloping  over  the  rugged  hills 
and  loose  stones  of  the  Deccan,  something  more 


THE  DATE-GROVE.  203 

trying  even  than  the  c  'ard  'igh  road/  After-ex- 
perience taught  me  how  clever  an  Arab  is  over 
ground  which  would  cause  the  hair  of  an  English 
stud-groom  to  stand  on  end.  A  very  lucrative 
business  it  is  for  the  farriers,  for  many  shoes  are 
cast  in  a  run. 

Charlie  put  me  up  to  a  thing  or  two  in  con- 
nection with  the  sport  concerning  the  practices  of 
which  T  was  in  much  ignorance.  He  looked,  too, 
at  my  spear  and  condemned  it  as  a  feeble  tool, 
and  told  rne  I  ought  to  have  several,  as  they  fre- 
quently got  broken  in  the  encounters  with  pig. 
All  this  and  much  more  occupied  our  time  till, 
shortly  before  breakfast,  the  native  shikarees 
employed  by  the  hunt  came  with  their  reports  to 
the  elders. 

The  '  Date-grove'  was  said  to  be  full  of  pig, 
which  had  assembled  there  from  the  neighbouring 
hills  attracted  by  the  cultivation  which  was  now 
in  full  swing  in  the  valleys,  and  I  imagine  by 
the  date-trees  themselves  and  the  fine  cover  they 
afforded. 

It  lay  on  the  further  side  of  the  village  from 
our  camp,  which  was  pitched  on  some  high  and 
hard  ground  where  rain,  should  it  fall,  would  be 


204        FEATUKES  OF  THE  COUNTRY. 

least  annoying.  Several  little  valleys,  separated 
by  low  and  very  stony  hills,  converged  about  the 
point  where  the  grove  lay  along  both  sides  of  a 
considerable  nullah,  at  this  season  well  furnished 
with  water.  This  had  its  rise  in  the  higher  hills 
of  which  the  low  ranges  were  off-shoots,  finally 
merging  in  the  plain,  and  distant  perhaps  two  or 
three  miles.  Cultivated  land  lay  all  about  it,  and 
the  course  of  the  stream  was  distinctly  marked  by 
clumps  of  trees  and  patches  of  jungle  more  or 
less  extensive. 

All  was  bright  and  green  from  the  monsoon 
rains,  and  the  valley  was  further  freshened  by  the 
presence  here  and  there  of  fine  forest  timber. 
The  date  palms  which  gave  name  to  the  grove 
rose  out  of  a  thick  and  tangled  jungle,  and  were 
also  scattered  about  the  country. 

A  peculiar  arid  distinguishing  feature — here  as 
elsewhere  in  the  Deccan — of  some  of  the  more  dis- 
tant hills  was  the  squareness  of  their  tops,  form- 
ing table-lands,  affording  fair  riding-ground  amid 
the  scattered  bushes  and  boulders,  and  giving 
the  hunter  a  chance  of  getting  on  terms  with  a 
pig,  which  sometimes  beat  him  up  or  down  its 
stony  declivities.  I  have  myself  been  reduced  to 


AN  EXPERT'S  IDEAS  OF  PIG.  205 

a  walk  on  these  hillsides,  and  seen  my  pig  in 
front  in  very  similar  condition.  These  hills,  how- 
ever, were  not  on  this  day  the  scene  of  our  hunt- 
ing, as  the  grove  was  to  be  beaten  in  the  first 
place. 

A  bugle,  sounding  '  the  saddle,'  called  us  to- 
gether immediately  after  an  early  breakfast,  and 
we  were  ere  long  proceeding  in  little  scattered 
parties  towards  the  place  fixed  on  at  the  upper 
end  of  the  jungle  to  screen  us  from  the  pig 
breaking  towards  the  hills.  The  beaters — with 
matchlocks,  tomtoms,  and  every  available  instru- 
ment by  means  of  which  noise  might  be  created — 
were  assembled  at  the  lower  end  under  the  guid- 
ance of  the  shikarees,  all  ready  to  commence  when 
it  was  announced  that  the  sahib  logue  were  in 
their  places. 

We  have  it  on  the  authority  of  the  bucolic 
expert  that  '  pigs  is  a  beast  as  is  wery  difficult 
to  drive.  Alone.  Many  on  'em.  Wery,  is  a  pig,' 
and  this  sage  remark  is  as  applicable  to  the 
wild  swine  of  India  as  to  its  domestic  variety  in 
England.  We  therefore  attempted  to  drive  them 
towards,  and  not  away  from,  their  natural  refuges 
when  forced  from  cover. 


206  EXCITEMENT  OF  THE  BEAT. 

A  little  native  homestead,  consisting  of  a  hut, 
well,  and  small  enclosure,  under  some  fine  trees, 
afforded  an  excellent  screen  for  our  assembled 
party,  and  there  we  waited. 

The  first  roar  and  general  din,  somewhat  muffled 
by  the  distance,  soon  greeted  us,  and  increased  in 
volume  as  the  time  progressed.  Sometimes  it 
would  sink,  then  swell  into  a  more  sustained  chaos 
of  sound,  as  tom-toms  and  shots  assisted  and 
encouraged  the  vocal  melody.  Several  of  the  old 
hunters,  both  men  and  horses,  were  tremulous 
with  excitement,  some  of  the  latter  calm  and  quiet 
but  quivering,  others  restless  and  impatient,  but 
all  greatly  moved  by  the  preparatory  symptoms 
of  race  and  battle. 

Suddenly  a  little  flag  mounted  on  a  long  bam- 
boo was  raised  by  a  scout  in  a  tree ;  others  quickly 
followed  in  rapid  succession,  and  soon  some  dusky 
forms  were  to  be  seen  hovering  just  within  the 
j  ungle.  Those  who  had  dismounted  now  mounted, 
and  all,  spear  in  hand,  and  curbing  the  impatience 
of  their  horses  as  best  they  could,  stood  ready  for 
action. 

An  extra  wave  of  sound  came  down  on  the 
breeze,  and  the  listening  pig,  hitherto  undeter- 


THE  FIRST  RUN.  207 

mined,  forming  their  resolve,  dashed  off  at  score 
out  of  the  cover,  and  broke  along  the  bank  of  the 
nullah.  It  was  a  fair  sounder  (or  herd),  and, 
after  checking  some  who  seemed  to  wish  to  be  off 

at  once,  Colonel  B ,  waiting  till  they  had 

attained  a  sufficient  distance,  gave  the  word, 
'  Now  ride,  gentlemen  !' 

Off  we  all  dashed.  I  rather  think,  as  I  went 
along  bustling  Gamecock,  I  howled  with  excite- 
ment. All  I  was  exactly  aware  of  was  that  those 
black  things  I  had  seen  scuttling  along  were  to 
be  reached  as  quickly  as  possible.  Of  the  actual 
tussle  for  first  spear  I  had  only  a  vague  notion, 
but  I  understood  that  in  theory  the  spear  of 
honour  was  struggled  for  by  all,  and  the  biggest 
boar  selected  as  the  object  of  the  struggle.  In 
actual  practice,  where  there  are  many  pig  and 
many  horsemen,  this  rule  must  be  frequently 
departed  from,  as  I  found  it  was  in  this  case. 

My  little  Galloway  was  quite  outclassed,  and  in 
the  first  burst  over  the  level  ground,  though  I 
bustled  Gamecock  to  the  best  of  my  ability, 
I  dropped  to  the  rear.  When  the  nullah  was 
reached,  and  there  was  a  good  deal  of  in  and  out 
jumping  and  scrambling,  I  managed  to  hold  my 


208  THE  FIRST  PIG  KILLED. 

own,  but  never  got  on  terms  with  the  leaders  as 
they  closed  with  the  pig  and  raced  for  the  spear. 
The  broken  ground  at  the  sides  of  the  nullah, 
arid  many  patches  of  jungle,  among  which  the  pig 
dodged  skilfully,  rendered  the  chase  somewhat 
longer  than  would  have  been  the  case  in  ground 
completely  open.  Ere  long,  however,  I  saw  that 
spearing  work  was  going  on,  and  very  soon  came 
up  with  Charlie,  who  was  standing  beside  a  dead 
pig,  which  he  had  just  speared  after  the  Hydera- 
bad Contingent  man  had  first  prodded  it  and 
ridden  on. 

Charlie  was  nicely  mounted,  but  his  horse  was 
young  and  new  to  the  work,  and  indeed,  either  on 
that  day  or  the  one  following,  he  got  a  very  nasty 
fall  by  his  horse  coming  down  on  the  rolling 
stones,  and  was  so  shaken  as  to  necessitate  his 
resting  for  a  day  or  two.  It  turned  out  that  there 
was  110  very  big  boar  with  this  sounder ;  so,  after 
a  couple  had  been  killed,  the  rest  were  left  to 
themselves,  and  all  gradually  returned  and  re- 
assembled in  the  shelter  of  the  trees  about  the 
little  homestead. 

Although  I  had  not  yet  fleshed  my  maiden 
spear,  I  acquired  some  idea  of  the  character  of  the 


A  VERY  LARGE  SOUNDER.  209 

sport,  and  was  more  alive  to  its  requirements  from 
the  practical  test  of  experience. 

After  a  sufficient  lapse  of  time  to  let  the  horses 
recover  their  wind;  the  signal  was  given  for  a 
renewal  of  the  beat,  which  had  been  stopped 
directly  we  started  on  the  first  burst.  Again 
the  howling  from  a  hundred  throats,  the  martial 
music,  and  popping  of  matchlocks  filled  the 
grove  with  noise,  and  doubtless  startled  even 
such  pig  as,  eschewing  the  comforts  of  the 
jungle,  had  taken  up  their  residence  on  the  distant 
hillsides. 

It  was  known  that  pigs,  in  large  numbers,  had 
been  collecting  near  our  extremity  of  the  jungle, 
and  it  was  not  long  before  they  showed. 


*  And  lo  !  a  monstrous  herd  of  swine  appears. 
And  onward  rushes  with  tempestuous  tread.' 


The  giant  in  l  Morgante  Maggiore,'  from 
whom  I  have  quoted,  would  certainly  have  thought 
so  had  he  seen  the  long  line  of  pig  which  now 
broke  cover.  I  was  amazed  at  the  vast  herd, 
which  stretched  along  the  side  of  the  nullah. 
It  embraced  all  sizes,  from  an  immense  grey  old 
tusker  about  the  centre  to  little  squeakers  of  a 


210  A  CUNNING  OLD  BOAR. 

few  weeks  old.  Nor  was  I  alone  astonished.  The 
number  evoked  the  wonder  of  the  oldest  hunter 
there. 

I  do  riot  think  I  ever  subsequently  saw  so  many 
pig  collected  together,  except,  perhaps,  once  in  the 
Dooree  jungle  on  the  borders  of  the  Runn  of 
Cutch. 

After  a  proper  interval,  the  word  was  given 
arid  we  were  all  again  thundering  in  pursuit. 
The  monster  was  naturally  the  great  object  of 
attraction,  but  I  regret  to  say  was  not  brought  to 
bag.  In  some  way,  known  only  to  cunning  old 
boars  like  himself,  he  managed  to  elude  his 
pursuers.  Probably  he  stopped  dead  in  some 
patch  of  jungle,  and  quietly  doubled  back  to  the 
grove  in  the  bottom  of  the  nullah,  when  the 
horsemen  had  hurried  on.  It  is  wonderful,  as  I 
found  from  after-experience,  how  so  large  and 
prominent  an  object  as  a  wild  boar  can  and  does 
escape  detection.  It  often  seems  as  if  they  were 
quite  uncanny  and  the  earth  had  swallowed  them 
up. 

However,  there  was  no  lack  of  other  c  warrantable' 
boars — boars  full  worthy  of  a  tussle  for  the  first 
spear,  and  which,  in  any  other  company  than  that 


WE  SCATTER  AFTER  THE  PIG.  211 

of  the  monster,  would  have  been  called  large.  The 
sounder,  or  collection  of  sounders,  soon  became 
scattered,  and  the  pursuers  also  broke  up  into 
groups,  and  singly,  or  in  parties  of  four  or  five, 
lay-in  to  such  suitable  pig  as  circumstances,  or  the 
chances  of  the  chase,  brought  them  in  contact  with. 
They  seemed  to  me  to  be  scuttling  about  every- 
where, but  eventually  I,  in  company  with  three 
or  four  others,  got  into  the  wake  of  a  nice  boar 
which  made  play  up  a  nullah  with  his  face  set  for 
the  small  stony  hills  I  have  mentioned.  I  was 
outpaced  at  first,  but  my  light  weight  and  Game- 
cock's good  condition  enabled  me  to  get  on  terms 
with  the  leading  horsemen  as  they  pushed  the 
boar  on  the  hills.  I  was  nearly  down  once  in 
going  in  and  out  of  a  nullah — my  own  fault — but 
I  managed  to  recover  my  seat,  and  my  little  horse 
behaved  with  commendable  consideration,  as  if 
aware  that  he  was  carrying  a  griffin  in  his  first 
boar-hunt. 

I  thought  some  of  the  bits  of  jungle  through 
which  I  had  to  force  my  way  somewhat  unpleas- 
ant riding,  and  drops  into  nullahs  and  climbing 
up  steep  banks  trying,  but  that  was  nothing  to 
the  rolling  stones  011  the  faces  of  the  small  but 


212         OVER  THE  DECCAN  STONES. 

rugged  hills,  which  we  reached  ere  the  leading 
horseman  closed  with  the  boar. 

In  cold  blood,  and  in  ignorance  of  the  country, 
I  might  have  declined  to  batter  my  horse's  legs 
on  such  ground,  or  submit  my  carcase  to  the  perils 
of  a  fall  on  it ;  but  in  the  excitement  of  the  chase 
all  such  considerations  vanished  into  empty  space, 
and  I  found  myself  tooling  along  as  if  I  had  been 
all  my  life  accustomed  to  the  Deccan  stones. 

The  two  leading  horsemen  were  now  getting  on 
terms  with  the  pig,  and  racing  for  the  spear  with- 
out my  being  able  to  get  close  enough  to  take  any 
part  in  the  actual  tussle.  It  is  not,  however, 
always  the  leaders  who  are  successful,  for  ajink 
of  the  pig  may  throw  them  off,  and  let  in  some 
other  less  favourably  placed.  But  such  chance 
came  not  to  me  on  this  occasion,  though,  even  had 
it  done  so,  my  inexperience  would  very  likely 
have  failed  to  let  me  profit  by  it.  I  saw  a  rush,  an 
effort,  a  twist  of  the  pig,  more  rushing,  another 
effort,  a  thrust,  and  the  spear  was  won — I  was  not 
quite  certain  by  whom. 

The  boar,  evidently  not  seriously  incommoded 
by  the  prick  he  had  received — which,    however 


THE  FLESHING  OF  MY  MAIDEN  SPEAR.         213 

insignificant,  was  sufficient  to  entitle  the  giver  to 
the  tushes — now  disdained  to  trust  entirely  to 
flight,  and  kept  up  a  running  fight,  charging  each 
horseman  as  he  came  up.  He  had  first  rushed  at 
one,  when  I  came  up,  and  I  made  an  effort  to  prod 
him  as  he  followed  the  horseman.  It  looked  so  easy 
a  thing  to  do  that  I  was  quite  astonished  when  my 
thrust  clean  missed  as  I  dashed  past  him.  I  soon 
wheeled  my  horse  round,  and  found  the  pig  with 
his  stern  against  a  bush,  and  champing  tusks, 
looking  the  very  perfection  of  savage  ferocity,  his 
bristles  erect,  and  little  eyes  glaring  with  wrath. 
He  made  a  few  sharp,  short  trotting  steps  as  I 
approached,  then  with  a  rush  dashed  at  me. 
Fortunately,  I  was  moving,  and  had  my  horse  in 
hand,  as  should  invariably  be  the  case  when 
receiving  a  charge,  and  this  time  I  did  not  miss, 
though  my  thrust  was  yet  indicative  of  inex- 
perience. I  caught  him  full  on  the  head.  This 
checked  him,  without  effecting  any  really  serious 
wound,  but  the  shock  was  such  that  it  quite  shook 
me  in  my  seat  as  I  galloped  past,  elate  at  having 
at  any  rate  fleshed  my  maiden  spear. 

It  was  now  (  Come  one,  come  all,'  and  like  the 


214         KILLING  WITH  ONE  THRUST  NOT  EASY. 

brave  Fitz-James  he  disdained  to  fly,  and,  fighting 
to  the  last,  was  shortly  gathered  to  his  fathers 
after  receiving  several  spear  wounds. 

Of  course  a  pig  can  be,  and  frequently  is,  killed 
by  a  single  spear-thrust.  On  easy  ground,  and 
when  unhurried,  the  experienced  hunter  can 
select  time  and  opportunity,  and  deliver  his  spear 
with  greater  'precision,  though  even  then  it  is 
more  than  probable  that  one  will  not  effectually 
dispose  of  so  tough  and  vigorous  an  opponent  as 
a  wild  j  ungle  boar.  But  in  a  scramble,  on  a  rough 
hill-side  where  several  are  engaged,  the  chances 
are  that  several  spears  will  have  to  be  given  before 
the  foe  succumbs. 

The  run,  though  a  sharp  one,  had  not  been 
unduly  prolonged,  so  our  horses  were,  for  the  most 
part,  soon  ready  to  join  in  any  other  fray  should 
such  offer.  Some  of  us  accordingly  ascended  the 
neighbouring  eminences  to  look  out  for  any  stray 
pig  which  might  be  moving  in  our  direction.  On 
topping  one  of  these,  one  of  us  discovered  a 
solitary  horseman  in  the  valley  beyond,  engaged 
with  a  pig,  which  seemed  to  be  getting  the  best 
of  it.  We  galloped  down  to  his  assistance,  arid 
none  too  soon.  It  was  the  squire.  He  himself 


THE  SQUIRE'S  DANGER.  215 

was  dead-beat,  for  he  was  not  in  good  health,  and 
his  horse  was  equally  blown.  The  pig  was  right 
under  the  horse,  which  was  kicking  and  j  umping, 
fighting  on  his  own  account,  while  the  squire  was 
making  ineffectual  digs  at  the  boar,  who  in  his 
turn  was  ripping  at  the  horse  with  his  tusks. 
Our  arrival  distracted  the  attention  of  the 
beast,  and  between  us  he  was  soon  accounted  for. 

The  horse  was  ripped  in  several  places,  but 
none,  if  I  remember  right,  of  a  serious  nature. 
The  squire  had,  in  the  first  instance,  made  for  the 
big  boar,  which,  however,  eluded  him,  and  he  was 
fain  to  lay-in  to  a  smaller  one  across  which  he 
came,  with  the  result  above  recorded. 

Altogether  six  boars  were  killed,  and  I,  at  any 
rate,  thought  they  made  a  very  pretty  show  when 
ranged  in  a  row  for  inspection  near  our  camp, 
preparatory  to  their  being  taken  away  to  be  cut 
up  and  the  tushes  extracted.  Happy !  thrice 
happy !  those  fortunate  hunters  who  had  been 
successful  in  obtaining  the  first  spears,  and  thus 
become  the  envied  possessors  of  those  glittering 
trophies  !  Though  not  one  of  these,  I  felt  elated 
at  being  entered  to  pig,  and  numbered  with  the 
noble  fraternity  of  pig-stickers,  and  well  satisfied 


216  THE  FIRST  DAY  THE  BEST. 

that  I  had  fleshed  my  maiden  spear.  Many  and 
many  a  boar  has  since  fallen  to  my  spear,  aided 
by  others  or  alone,  but  the  happy  memory  of  my 
first  thrust  brightly  survives  as  a  distinct  recol- 
lection, whilst  others  have  faded  into  the  dim 
obscurity  generated  by  lapse  of  time. 

More  or  less  success  attended  the  hunters  dur- 
ing the  following  ten  days,  during  which  our 
camp  was  moved  several  times  to  various  villages 
among  the  hills ;  but,  on  no  occasion  were  so 
many  pig  killed  as  on  this  the  opening  day  of 
the  meet,  and  of  my  introduction  to  the  noble 
sport  of  hog-hunting. 

As  I  shall  have  something  more  to  say  about 
this  sport  as  pursued  under  somewhat  different 
conditions,  and  in  other  countries,  I  do  not  propose 
to  follow  the  movements  of  the  present  party,  for 
I  cannot  recall  any  special  incident  which  marked 
its  progress.  Pig  were  much  scattered  and  not 
plentiful,  and,  owing  to  the  rough  and  hilly 
character  of  the  country,  were  not  always 
accounted  for  when  found.  Rugged  Deccan  hills, 
strewn  with  boulders  and  rolling  stones,  and  inter- 
spersed with  jungle,  present  obstacles  which  are 
absent  on  the  racing  flats  of  Lower  Bengal  (though 


VARIED  GROUND  FOR  HOG-HUNTING.         217 

that  country  too  has  its  own  impediments),  and 
render  the  sport  of  a  nature  quite  dissimilar. 

Those  accustomed  to  the  latter,  and  the  number 
of  pig  there  to  be  met  in  the  course  of  a  day, 
might  no  doubt  prefer  that  in  which  they  had 
been  initiated,  and  the  greater  slaughter  feasible  ; 
while  others  might  choose  and  esteem  more  highly, 
from  the  greater  difficulty  experienced  in  securing 
success,  the  fewer  victims,  but  the  rougher  and 
more  varied  ground.  It  is  probably  a  matter  of 
education  as  much  as  of  original  taste. 


218 


CHAPTER  III. 


BEAR-SHOOTING. 


MY  TWO  COMRADES — IN  THE  JUNGLE — TRACKING  NOT  IN  VOGUE  HERE — 
BEARS  CAPRICIOUS — THE  FIRST  BEAT — THE  BEAR  CHARGED  STRAIGHT 
AT  US — HE  MAKES  OFF— WE  FIND  HIM  AGAIN— WE  BAG  OUR  FIRST 
BEAR— POTELA — SHOOTING  IN  THE  DECCAN  GHAUTS. 


I  SAW  a  good  deal  more  hunting  before  I  left 
Ahmednuggur,  for  in  those  days  the  '  Nuggur 
Hunt,'  though  somewhat  shorn,  perhaps,  of  its 
earlier  glories,  as  described  by  Morris,  was  one  of 
the  celebrated  hunts  of  India — in  Western  India 
the  most  so. 

In  the  cold  season  of  the  same  year,  however, 
which  saw  my  first  efforts  at  pig-sticking,  I  was 
ordered  to  join  the  regiment  to  which  I  had  been 
permanently  posted,  and  on  the  rolls  of  which  I 
remained  till  transferred  to  the  Staff  Corps.  It 
had  just  arrived  at  Poona,  and  the  seventy  odd 
miles'  ride  from  Nuggur  to  that  station  was  accom- 
plished in  seven  or  eight  hours,  for  the  most  part 


MY  HORSE  '  KUTTY.'  219 

on  my  own  cattle.  My  ideas  had  considerably 
expanded  during  the  few  months  which  had 
elapsed,  and  I  had  now  three  hunters  in  my  stable. 
The  wretched  tattoo,  who  turned  out  but  a  sorry 
little  beast,  had  been  disposed  of,  and  replaced  by 
a  couple  of  animals,  to  only  one  of  which  will  it 
be  necessary  to  refer  in  any  detail.  f  Kutty'  was 
a  little  Arab  grey  with  a  suspected  dash  of  some 
native  breed  in  him.  Sufficient  to  say  that  he 
displayed  great  power  all  over,  but  with  a  heavy 
forehand.  This  was  his  one  weak  point,  and  his 
want  of  obliquity  in  the  shoulder  rendered  him 
somewhat  uncomfortable  to  ride,  and  slow  at  full 
gallop.  But  he  could  climb  like  a  cat,  jumped 
well,  and  stayed  for  ever.  These  commendable 
qualities  induced  me  to  keep  him  in  preference  to 
either  Gamecock  or  my  other  purchase,  though 
he  was  the  slowest  of  the  three,  and  the  honest 
little  horse  did  me  excellent  service,  crediting  me 
with  numbers  of  l  first  spears,'  for  his  endurance 
and  pluck  and  i  savoir  faire  '  in  pursuit  of  pig 
made  up  for  his  want  of  speed  in  rough  countries. 
On  the  flat  he  was  nowhere  at  first,  but  had  a 
trick  of  creeping  in,  and  very  frequently,  taking 
advantage  of  every  jink  and  twist  of  the  pig,  gave 


220  KUTTY'S  GRAVE. 

his  master  the  opportunity  of  securing  the  coveted 
spear,  when  chances  seemed  all  against  him. 
Among  rough  hills  and  broken  or  enclosed  ground 
he  generally  was  all  there.  For  twelve  years  he 
was  the  faithful  companion  in  my  many  sporting 
expeditions,  and  also  did  me  good  service  as  a 
second  charger  when  on  the  staff  in  the  troublous 
times  of  the  Mutiny.  I  had  eventually  to  des- 
troy him,  and  his  grave  lies  in  a  pretty  secluded 
nook  on  Mount  Aboo  in  Rajpootana.  If  there 
be  any  happy  hunting-grounds  to  which  the 
spirits  of  good  horses  go,  Kutty  is  now  chasing 
boars  and  indulging  to  the  full  in  that  sport  in 
which  he  so  much  delighted  on  this  poor  earth. 

With  so  much  locomotive  power  it  was  not  long 
before  I  had  explored  the  neighbouring  country 
in  all  directions  in  search  of  sport.  In  the 
vicinity  of  so  large  a  garrison  as  Poona  then 
possessed — something  like  five  thousand  of  all  arms 
— one  had  to  work  hard  and  ride  far  to  secure 
success.  I,  however,  soon  disposed  of  two  of  my 
horses,  for  I  found  that  an  impecunious  subaltern 
was  too  heavily  handicapped  with  a  stud  so  un- 
suitable in  an  expensive  station.  I  attended 
several  pig-sticking  meets  among  the  rough  hills 


THE  SHOOTING-PARTY.  221 

of  Kassersai  and  elsewhere,  but  nothing  larger 
than  antelope  had  fallen  to  my  rifle  till  I  was 
asked  to  make  one  of  a  small  party  to  try  for  big 
game  in  the  ghauts  during  the  month  of  April. 

Will  a  duck  swim  ?  It  was  simply  a  matter  of 
coin  and  leave,  both  of  which  I  managed  to  pro- 
cure, and,  after  muster  on  the  1st  of  April,  my 
two  companions  and  myself  were  cantering  along 
the  dusty  road  which  led  in  the  direction  of  the 
distant  ghauts,  the  great  Syhoodria  range.  This, 
running  down  the  western  coast  of  India  in  this 
quarter,  separates  the  table-land  of  the  Deccan 
from  the  low-lying  Concan,  in  places  rising  almost 
sheer  to  a  height  of  three  thousand  feet  and  more. 

It  is  with  a  mixture  of  pain  and  pride  that  I 
venture  to  describe  my  two  comrades,  both  of 
them  men  standing  prominent  from  the  ruck,  and 
alas  !  like  many  other  friends  of  my  youth,  cut  off 
in  the  prime  of  manhood  and  promise  of  its 
success. 

George  H was  our  adj  utant.     Good-looking, 

whiskerless,  slight,  and  effeminate  in  appearance, 
save  for  a  look  of  resolution  which  did  not  belie 
his  character,  he  was  a  first-rate  soldier  with  a 
commanding  power  of  swaying  men.  A  good 


222  GEORGE  H.'S  DEATH. 

horseman,  he  was  not  much  of  a  shot,  but  his 
coolness  and  determination  at  such  close  quarters 
as  is  desirable  in  big-game  shooting  made  up  for 
any  want  of  great  precision  as  a  rifle-shot.  Poor 
fellow !  He  afterwards  commanded  a  Ghoorka 
regiment  in  the  expedition  under  the  same  Sir 
Neville  Chamberlain  to  whom  I  have  referred,  and 
was  cut  to  pieces  in  the  Urnbeyla  Pass,  when 
chivalrously  endeavouring  to  rally  a  sore-pressed 
picket  of  his  regiment.  Not  a  nobler  soldier  fell 
before  the  fierce  onslaught  of  those  splendid  but 
fanatical  warriors  of  the  hill-tribes  who  so  long 
held  us  in  check  on  that  wild  frontier  of  the  north- 
west. 

Mac,  the  second  number  of  our  little  party,  was 
in  appearance,  in  some  respects,  the  very  reverse 
of  George.  A  handsome  hairy  man  of  command- 
ing stature,  he  possessed  a  muscular  development 
compatible  with  his  six-foot-four,  and  was  a  grand 
specimen  of  Highland  humanity.  Well  inured 
in  his  boyhood  to  use  of  gun  and  rifle  among  the 
paternal  hills  and  glens  of  Morar  in  Invernesshire, 
he  was  good  with  both,  but  especially  so  with  the 
rifle,  in  the  use  of  which  he  was  certainly  my 
superior.  Many  a  happy  day's  shooting,  both  with 


OUR  FIRST  CAMP.  223 

big  and  small  game,  have  I  had  in  his  company, 
and,  as  will  be  seen,  our  first  bear  and  our  first 
tiger  were  killed  when  together.  He  too  died 
early,  a  year  or  two  before  George,  and  in  this  very 
neighbourhood,  where  he  contracted  fever  when 
employed  in  the  Forest  Department. 

Of  the  third  hunter — myself — it  will  only  be 
necessary  to  say  that  I  was  small  and  light,  but 
strong,  wiry,  and  active,  and  at  that  particular 
period  of  my  existence  deeply  concerned  in  the 
progress  of  a  pair  of  sprouting  whiskers.  These  I 
carefully  cultivated  with  a  fond  solicitude,  and 
they  were  a  source  of  no  inconsiderable  interest  to 
their  owner. 

Our  servants  and  camp  had  been  sent  on 
previously  to  a  place  called  Bamburda,  at  the  head 
of  one  of  the  valleys  whence  rises  an  affluent  of  the 
Bheema,  the  river  at  Poona,  and  distant  about 
forty  miles. 

Well  pleased  were  we  to  exchange  the  heat  and 
dust,  and  dressy,  ceremonious  conditions  of  life  in 
a  large  cantonment,  for  the  freshness,  abandon,  and 
liberty  of  that  in  the  jungle.  But  we  soon  found 
that  we  had  made  a  mistake  in  fixing  on  this 
particular  part  of  the  country  as  the  scene  of  our 


224  OUR  NEW  CAMP. 

operations.  Several  times  we  beat  for  bears,  and 
I  think  for  tigers,  but  the  khubber  was  unre- 
liable. We  never  saw  one,  though  said  to  be 
there,  and  all  we  killed  during  the  first  week  was 
a  sambur. 

We  accordingly  retraced  our  steps,  and  cross- 
ing a  somewhat  difficult  pass  over  the  interven- 
ing ridge,  within   sight   of  the   hill   fortress    of 
Singhur,  so  inseparably  associated  with  the  name 
of  the  great  Mahratta  chief  Sivajee,  and  the  scene 
of  one  of  his  greatest  achievements,  ascended  the 
next  of  those  lateral  winding  valleys  which  here 
penetrated  far  into  the  hills.     After  a  march  of 
two  days  we  pitched  our  modest  little  camp  under 
some  fine  forest-trees  near  the  village  of  Mangaum 
on  one  side  of  the  valley,  another  village  occupy- 
ing a  corresponding  site  in  the  j  ungle  on  the  other 
side.     We  had  been  induced  to  select  this  village, 
whence  to  beat  the  neighbouring  hills,  from  the 
representations  of  two   Mahratta   sepoys  of  our 
regiment,   whom  we  had  brought  with  us,  and 
who  were  natives  of  the  place,  and  their  informa- 
tion proved  reliable.     We  were  also  accompanied 
by  a  sporting  soobedhar  (native  officer)  of  our 
regiment. 


MARKING  OR  SCOUTING.  225 

In  the  bottom  of  the  valley  flowed,  or  rather 
trickled,  what  the  hot  season  had  left  of  the  river. 
But  there  was  a  nice  deep  wide  pool  there, 
somewhat  too  much  affected  indeed  by  the  cattle 
of  the  neighbourhood,  but  yet  affording  a  good 
swimming  space,  and  altogether  proving  a  refresh- 
ing tub  after  a  toilsome  tramp  over  those  high 
hills  and  through  the  jungles,  under  the  blazing 
sun  of  mid- April. 

In  this  hilly,  jungle-covered  country,  tracking 
was  not  in  vogue.  The  system  was  for  scouts  to 
be  posted  on  commanding  tops,  and  to  mark,  and — 
running  along  the  heights  from  point  to  point — 
keep  in  view,  so  far  as  the  ground  and  jungle  per- 
mitted, any  beast  detected  moving  below,  till  it 
disappeared  for  good  in  some  ravine  or  particular 
patch  of  jungle  in  which,  presumably,  its  intention 
was  to  '  lay  up '  for  the  day.  News  would  then  be 
despatched,  while  some  of  the  scouts  kept  watch 
and  ward  on  the  heights. 

Several  bears  were  said  to  be  in  the  vicinity, 
and,  on  the  morning  after  our  arrival,  one  was 
marked  down  into  a  ravine,  a  good  way  over 
among  the  highest  hills  on  the  other  side  of  the 
valley.  Accordingly,  after  an  early  breakfast, 

Q 


226  BEARS  MORE  CRUSTY  THAN  TIGERS. 

we  prepared  to  look  up  his  quarters,  beaters  in 
the  meantime  having  been  collected. 

These  little  hill  Mahrattas  have  not  the  same 
fear  of  bears  that  I  have  remarked  in  some  other 
parts,  though  a  mangled  face  and  other  injuries 
too  often  testify  that  bruin  is  an  ugly  customer 
to  meet  on  a  jungle  path.  At  times  he  will  brook 
no  intrusion  and  become  the  aggressor  without 
provocation,  and  not  infrequently  follow  and  stick 
to  a  man  with  angry  pertinacity ;  whereas  a  tiger, 
unless  a  man-eater,  or  wounded,  or  rendered  angry 
by  being  roused  by  hunters  out  of  his  noon-tide 
nap,  will  usually  slink  away,  or  at  any  rate  not  ex- 
hibit an  aggressive  demeanour.  Such  at  least  was 
the  conclusion  I  arrived  at  in  my  small  experi- 
ence, supplemented  by  what  I  learnt  from  natives. 

We  rode  our  horses  as  far  as  practicable  up  the 
jungle  path,  but  had  a  weary  trudge,  sometimes 
through  windless  tracks  of  jungle,  afterwards,  till 
we  reached  the  higher  part  of  the  hills,  and  were 
met  by  scouts  near  a  big  ravine  which  here  cleft 
the  hills. 

The  flesh-pots  of  Egypt,  as  represented  by 
luxurious  mess-feeding,  do  not  form  good  training 
material  for  a  stump  over  the  Deccari  ghauts  in 


HEAVY  TIFFINS  OPPOSED  TO  CONDITION.        227 

the  hot  weather.  Heavy  tiffins  I  look  upon  as 
one  of  the  curses  of  Indian  life.  To  consume 
habitually  large  quantities  of  rich  meats,  and  drink 
copious  libations  of  bitter  ale,  followed  by  brandy 
pawnee  and  unlimited  smoke  in  the  middle  of  the 
day  with  the  thermometer  from,  say,  ninety  to 
a  hundred  degrees  in  the  shade,  is  no  unlikely 
preparative  for  the  thousand  ills  to  which  Indian 
human  flesh  is  heir.  And  then  the  poor  sun  has 
to  bear  the  blame  for  the  liver  complaint,  impaired 
digestion,  and  the  general  derangement  which 
high-living,  or  high-living  and  sun  combined,  will 
produce  ;  but  which  the  sun,  if  wise  precautionary 
measures  be  taken,  is  not  alone  responsible  for,  in 
nine  cases  out  of  ten. 

Let  the  young  shikaree,  the  healthy  young 
fellow  who  really  loves  sport,  and  desires  to 
remain  fit  for  its  pleasant  prosecution,  be 
moderate  at  all  times  and  in  all  things,  and 
especially  eschew  heavy  tiffins ;  he  will  then  find 
that  he  will  not  become  the  nerveless,  liverish, 
useless  creature  he  so  often  meets,  living  a  life  of 
besotted  ease,  eschewing  exercise,  and  funking  an 
hour  in  the  sun  as  his  most  dreaded  enemy.  At 
the  same  time  it  is  not  necessary  to  undergo  use- 

Q2 


228         .  THE  GUNS  STATIONED. 

less  exposure,  for  the  sun  is  not  devoid,  naturally, 
of  some  evil  effects,  especially  on  some  consti- 
tutions. Though  we  were  in  fairly  good  trim 
from  the  exertions  we  had  already  undergone, 
since  our  arrival  in  the  jungles,  we  felt  the  heat 
a  good  deal,  for  it  was  a  piping  hot  day,  and  we 
were  somewhat  gratified  when  we  stopped  to  hold 
consultation  with  the  shikarees  as  to  the  best  mode 
of  proceeding. 

We  now,  as  at  all  other  times,  drew  lots  for  the 
positions  it  was  decided  to  take  up.  This  is  the 
best  plan. 

It  fell  to  me  to  go  across  the  ravine  and  cover 
an  open  space  just  beyond  some  jungle  and  thick 
grass,  while  my  two  companions  were  respectively 
assigned  positions  on  the  hither  side  of  the  ravine. 
The  soobedhar  was  somewhere  on  my  side.  The 
beaters  had  been  taken  below  with  the  object  of 
beating  up  to  us.  My  little  battery  consisted  of  a 
double  fourteen  smooth-bore  and  a  single  rifle — 
nothing  more.  George  had,  I  think,  three  double 
guns,  and,  Mac,  two.  This  was  my  first  beat  for  big 
game,  and  I  confess  to  a  feeling  of  nervous  anxiety 
as  the  loud-throated  beaters  drew  nearer  and 


BURNING  OUT  BRUIN.  229 

nearer.  I  tried  to  steady  my  nerves,  by  frequently 
aiming  at  supposititious  animals  in  the  shade  of  the 
jungle  or  breaking  across  the  opening,  but  no  real 
creature  appeared,  though  shouts  from  the  opposite 
side  warned  me  that  a  bear  had  been  seen,  and 
was  moving  in  my  direction.  Silent  and  prepared 
I  kept  within  the  shelter  of  a  bush,  with  every 
sense  strained,  and  keenly  alive  to  every  move- 
ment in  front.  But  nothing  broke. 

It  was  now  announced  that  the  bear  had  taken 
possession  of  a  stretch  of  some  high  grass  and  jun- 
gle, and  no  amount  of  shouting  would  dislodge  him, 
and  it  was  too  thick  to  be  penetrated  by  the  beaters, 
except  in  one  or  two  roads  made  by  the  animals 
themselves.  It  was  decided,  therefore,  to  try  the 
effect  of  a  few  fireworks  which  set  fire  to  the  grass. 
This  course  of  treatment  had  effect  on  the  sulky 
disposition  of  bruin,  who  exhibited  great  reluctance 
to  expose  himself.  The  fire  was  soon  raging,  and 
a  very  pretty  little  conflagration  set  going,  with- 
out, I  fear,  much  thought  being  given  as  to  where 
it  might  end.  However,  as  these  jungle  fires 
were  of  frequent  occurrence,  with  the  view  of 
clearing  tracks  of  country  before  the  rainy  sea- 


230  NOTICE  TO  QUIT. 

son,  to  induce  the  green  grass  to  spring  up  in  the 
blackened  void,  we  did  not  attribute  much  impor- 
tance to  the  damage  likely  to  be  done. 

The  bear  was  there,  and  gave  audible  signs  of 
his  disapproval  of  the  approaching  flames.  He 
was  first  seen  by  the  scouts  to  approach  my  posi- 
tion, then  turn,  and,  slipping  into  the  ravine, 
passed  near  George,  without  his  being  able  to  see 
him  in  the  jungle,  and  then  got  round  the  fire, 
and  made  his  way  down  instead  of  up. 

I  was  now  called  to  the  other  side  in  order  to 
follow  the  bear  along  with  my  companions. 
As  luck  would  have  it,  a  couple  of  Bakerie  or 
Ravine  deer  presented  themselves  at  some  distance 
higher  up  as  I  was  crossing,  and  offered  a  tempta- 
tion I  was  unable  to  resist,  especially  as  I 
thought  the  bear  must  have  got  miles  away.  I 
accordingly  fired  the  right  barrel  of  my  gun, 
which  was  in  my  hand,  and  ineffectually.  I  had 
no  sooner  done  so,  than  some  scouts  shouted  that 
the  bear  was  seen  below.  I  loaded  with  all  promp- 
titude, and,  I  believe,  in  my  hurry  put  in  a 
double  charge  of  powder,  and  rejoined  my  friends 
as  speedily  as  I  could.  There  was  not  much  time 
for  rating  me,  as  I  deserved,  but  George  signified 


THE  BEAR  GETS  ANGRY.          231 

his  disapproval  at  my  firing  at  anything  so  insig- 
nificant when  after  big  game,  and  I  took  the 
lesson  to  heart. 

We  were  soon  doubling  along  a  jungle  path, 
under  the  guidance  of  a  little  active,  almost  naked 
villager,  who  was  directed  in  his  movements  by 
the  scouts,  darting  like  monkeys  from  one  top  to 
another,  far  above  us.  Presently  he  seemed  at 
fault.  Some  called  us  further  on,  and  Mac  ran 
on,  while  our  guide  stopped,  and  George  and  I 
with  him.  We  sat  down,  while  the  men  tried  to 
trace  the  animal. 

Just  then  there  came  a  loud  yelling  from  the 
jungle  below  us.  There  was  a  great  deal  of 
excitement  arid  confusion,  and  the  growling  of  an 
angry  bear  showed  us  that  he  was  not  far  off.  A 
cry  arose  that  a  man  was  boned,  and  almost  im- 
mediately we  saw  him  darting  from  the  jungle 
with  even  less  attire  than  he  entered  it.  The 
bear  had  followed  him,  but  divesting  himself  of 
his  kummerbund  or  his  cumley,  the  man  threw  it 
in  the  bear's  face,  and  on  this  the  latter  wreaked 
his  vengeance,  and,  turning,  made  in  our  direction 
as  the  warning  voices  of  the  scouts  informed  us. 

He  emerged  from  the  jungle  about  ten  yards 


232  A  VICIOUS  CHARGE. 

from  us,  and  charged  straight  at  us,  with  the 
vicious  ugh-ugh  a  bear  makes  on  such  occasions. 
We  fired  simultaneously,  and  also  simultaneously 
I  found  myself  on  my  nether  end,  the  kick  from 
my  gun,  assisted  probably  by  an  insecure  foothold 
on  the  hillside,  having  reduced  me  to  that  un- 
dignified position.  Our  shots  turned  the  bear, 
however,  and,  from  a  sitting  posture,  I  put  in  my 
left  barrel  as  the  beast  disappeared  in  the  jungle, 
George  doing  the  same.  Our  spare-gun  bearers 
had  advanced  to  the  rear  on  the  first  appearance 
of  the  bear  so  close,  but  soon  returned  on  its 
making  off.  We  shouted  to  Mac  and  the  old 
soobedhar  to  look  out,  and  they,  too,  got  a  snap 
shot  or  two  in  the  jungle,  but  we  soon  saw  the 
bear  rounding  a  hill  some  little  distance  off 
apparently  wounded,  but  not  sufficiently  so  to  stop 
him. 

Our  little  guide  now  girded  up  his  loins,  and 
with  scanty  words,  but  more  by  gesticulation,  gave 
us  to  understand  that  there  was  water  in  that 
direction,  and  doubled  off  evidently  expecting  us 
to  follow.  We  did  so,  and  sure  enough  reached  a 
pool  of  water,  but  we  were  just  too  late.  The  bear 
had  been  there,  and  we  sighted  him  a  good  way 


WE  FOLLOW  THE  BEAR.  233 

ahead.  Mac  and  I  fired,  and  one  of  Mac's  shots 
told  severely,  but  he  still  held  on,  and  got  a  long 
way  down  the  hillside,  crossing  several  ridges  and 
ravines  before  the  scouts  again  'marked  him  down. 
We  had  of  course  to  follow,  getting  up  a  jog-trot 
when  capable  of  doing  so,  but  we  were  getting 
rather  done.  These  great  rugged  hills  are  very 
trying  with  their  many  ups  and  downs  and  deep 
ravines. 

We  all  now  separated,  each  taking  a  line  with  the 
object  of  intercepting  the  bear.  I  happened  to  be 
highest  up,  and  saw  it  slowly  moving  in  the  jungle 
at  a  distance  of  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  yards. 
I  fired  at  it,  more  with  the  object  of  sending  it  in 
George's  direction  on  the  other  side  of  the  ravine 
than  expecting  to  do  much,  but  the  beast  kept 
down  in  the  bottom,  and  the  soobedhar  got  a  shot 
at  it  with  a  chain  shot,  which  the  old  fellow  had 
manufactured,  but  which,  though  it  hit,  only  just 
penetrated  the  skin,  and  proved  a  failure  in  the 
matter  of  projectiles. 

Once  more  the  poor  persecuted  beast  ' lay-up'  in 
a  branch  of  the  big  ravine.  So  we  all  went  below, 
and  directed  the  shikarees  to  assemble  what  beaters 
they  could  and  beat  down  to  us.  However,  before 


234  TAKEN  UNAWARES. 

this  could  be  managed,  the  bear  was  again  on  the 
move. 

George  and  myself  were  getting  very  done  up, 
and  determined  only  to  follow  when  something 
definite  was  discovered  as  to  the  beast's  where- 
abouts, for  it  was  uncertain  whether  it  was  making 
up  or  down.  The  stalwart  Mac,  however,  had 
yet  some  go  in  him,  arid  pushed  on  to  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  where  it  had  been  last  seen.  There 
he,  too,  sat  down  to  rest  and  wait  till  the  scouts 
should  telegraph  news.  Heedlessly,  hardly  think- 
ing of  what  he  was  doing,  he  took  up  a  stone  or 
two  and  pitched  them  into  a  thick  patch  of  bushes 
in  front,  when  to  his  astonishment  out  bolted  the 
bear,  luckily  for  him  on  the  other  side,  for  his 
gun  had  been  laid  on  the  ground,  and  was  not 
within  reach.  However,  he  was  soon  in  pursuit, 
for  the  poor  beast  was  now  travelling  slowly. 

He  got  a  shot  or  two  at  long  range,  and  was 
running  to  a  spot  whence  he  thought  he  could 
intercept  the  bear,  and  get  a  close  shot,  when  an 
angry  growl  made  him  stop  and  endeavour  to  turn 
to  meet  the  bear  as  it  rushed  at  him  from  a  bush 
only  a  few  yards  off.  In  turning,  he  slipped,  but 
fired  into  the  bear's  open  mouth  when  it  was  close 


FINALLY  DISPOSED  OP.  235 

upon  him.  This  was  a  settler  ;  but  the  bear  still 
crawled  a  few  yards,  and  lay  down  under  a  bush, 
and  Mac  found  that  he  had  expended  all  his  bullets. 

He  managed,  however,  to  get  some  slugs  from  a 
Brinjarree,  who  was  there.,  and  loading  with 
these  went  up  and  administered  the  coup-de-grace. 

George  and  I  were  hurrying  on  to  join  Mac, 
when  the  firing  re-commenced,  but  an  exulting 
whoop  announced  that  further  efforts  were  un- 
necessary. So  the  principal  honours  of  the  day 
remained  with  Mac. 

Thus  satisfactorily  terminated  the  first,  and  far 
away  the  longest,  running  fight  I  ever  was 
present  at  with  a  bear.  It  was  carried  on  over  a 
very  stiff  country,  and  all  on  the  move,  and  only 
ended  when  evening  was  drawing  on.  Bad  shoot- 
ing !  it  may  be  suggested.  But  it  was  not  alto- 
gether that,  though  we  were  all  new  to  the  work  ; 
for  we  found,  when  skinning  him,  that  he  had 
received  nine  bullets,  and  some  of  these  so  well 
placed  as  to  render  it  extraordinary  how  the  poor 
beast  could  have  lived  and  fought  so  long.  Some 
bears  are  uncommonly  tough.  But  there  is  great 
chance  in  these  matters.  On  the  second  day  after 
this,  we  found  another  bear,  and  were  so  well 


236          AN  EVENING  TRAMP  HOME. 

placed  that  he  visited  the  position  of  each  of  us 
in  succession,  and  was  killed  there  and  then  with- 
in ten  minutes  or  a  little  more. 

The  varied  changes  and  twistings  of  the  pro- 
tracted engagement  had  led  us  into  a  part  of  the 
country  far  from  the  spot  where  our  horses  had 
been  left,  so  we  had  nothing  for  it  but  to  brace 
our  energies  to  the  trudge  home  to  our  tents  on 
foot. 

How  often  in  the  happy  hunting-grounds  of  the 
Scottish  highlands  it  is  remarked  that  the  weari- 
some tramp  home  is  soothed  and  rendered  light 
by  the  sustaining  influence  of  success.  No  doubt 
we,  too,  were  similarly  sustained,  for  it  was  the 
first  bear  that  either  of  us  had  been  in  conflict 
with,  though  George  had  assisted  at  the  death  of 
a  tiger.  But  a  hard  day's  work  and  walk  home 
in  the  bracing  atmosphere  of  the  Highlands  is 
child's  play  to  a  similar  experience  in  an  Indian 
summer  in  the  rugged  Deccan  Ghauts. 

We  eventually  reached  our  tents  after  dark, 
and  were  cheered  and  invigorated  by  a  draught  of 
the  grateful  compound  which  passes  under  the 
name  of  £  mug.'  '  Grateful,  comforting.'  as  the 
advertisements  describe  some  other  innocent 


THE  GRATEFUL  COMPOUND    '  MUG.'  237 

beverage,  is  very  applicable  to  this  pleasant 
adaptation  of  beer ;  but  its  merits  possess  a  special 
charm  when  imbibed  under  circumstances  of 
fatigue  and  long  suffering,  such  as  in  the  present 
instance. 

4  Bitter'  beer,  a  little  sherry,  sugar,  with  any 
spice,  or  flavouring  material  such  as  borrage,  to 
suit  the  taste,  or  procurable  at  the  time,  the  whole 
rendered  brisk  and  less  heavy  by  the  addition  of 
soda  water,  and  all  cooled  by  the  evaporation 
caused  by  the  hot  dry  wind  on  wetted  cloths,  go 
to  form  this  c  mug '  as  we  drank  it  in  my  young 
days. 

Beer  I  always  looked  upon  as  the  very  worst 
possible  beverage  to  work  on  in  a  hot  sun,  both 
in  its  effect  on  the  shooting  and  on  the  liver.  It 
would  be  well  if  youngsters  would  content  them- 
selves with  cold  weak  tea,  or  some  other  innocuous 
drink,  while  actually  in  the  field.  I  would  not 
deny  him  a  well-earned  bottle  of  beer  on  his 
return. 

Next  day  was  devoted  to  rest,  skinning  the  bear, 
and  bottling  it  off.  This,  I  must  explain,  was  the 
operation  necessary  to  preserve  all  the  fat  procur- 
able from  the  carcase,  in  or  out.  Many  promises 


238  INTRODUCTION  TO    '  POTELA.' 

had  been  extorted  that  no  failure  should  take 
place  in  this  direction,  should  we  be  successful. 
On  our  return — I  speak  for  myself — it  was  remark- 
able how  pleasantly  interesting  I  had  become  to 
several  fair  ladies  of  my  acquaintance,  and  indeed 
to  some  with  whom  I  was  not  acquainted  ;  for  in 
those  days  unguents — and  especially  the  fat  of  such 
hairy  beasts  as  bears — were  highly  esteemed.  No 
doubt  we  should  have  been  warmly  welcomed  by 
the  celebrated  Mr.  Rowland  had  he  been  within 
hail. 

That  evening,  a  very  ugly  old  fellow  came  up 
to  me  and  used  the  single  word  '  Potela.'  My 
attainments  in  the  Mahratta  dialect  were  small, 
and  I  did  not  recognise  in  the  word  itself  what 
his  gestures  led  me  to  conjecture.  He  pointed 
with  his  hand  to  a  most  wizened,  attenuated 
stomach,  which,  drawn  in  to  the  most  extreme 
degree  of  contraction,  appeared  to  me  indeed  to 
realise  the  term  c  an  aching  void.' 

There  was  a  coarse  but  expressive  word  which 
we  young  vulgarians  had  adopted  in  those  days 
from  Hudibras — c  Belly  timber,'  and  this  it  was, 
I  thought,  to  which  the  old  fellow's  movements 
pointed. 


BREVITY  OF  SPEECH.  239 

On  consulting  George,  who  was  a  passed  inter- 
preter in  both  Mahratta  and  Hindustanee,  I 
found  that  I  was  correct.  The  old  man,  who  was 
the  head  skinner,  really  meant  c  Please,  sahib,  give 
me  my  pay  for  skinning  that  bear,  and  let  me  fill 
this  poor  old  empty  stumjack.'  The  single  word 
Potela,  with  its  attendant  gestures,  expressed 
this  much. 

Mr.  Bouverie,  I  think  it  is,  who  in  his  interest- 
ing work  on  the  North  West,  relates  an  amusing 
anecdote  illustrative  of  the  peculiar  but  expressive 
brevity  of  speech  indulged  in  by  our  cousins  over 
the  way. 

A  traveller,  sleeping  at  an  inn,  was  roused  in 
the  early  morning  by  a  noise  at  his  window, 
where  a  thief  was  endeavouring  to  force  an 
entrance.  He  whipped  out  his  revolver,  and  pre- 
senting it,  exclaimed,  '  You  get  ?' 

1  You  bet,'  said  the  thief,  as  he  rapidly  dis- 
appeared. I  think  the  old  head  skinner's  ex- 
pressive brevity  of  speech  may  compare  even  with 
that. 

Mr.  Potela,  as  we  subsequently  called  him, 
swaggered  down  next  day  when  another  bear  was 
brought  in,  when  the  'aching  void'  had  assumed 


240  THE  JACKAL  PROVIDER. 

proportions  the  very  reverse  of  those  which  dis- 
tinguished it  on  this  occasion. 

In  the  course  of  the  next  two  weeks  we  killed 
from  this  camp  five  more  bears  and  two  sambur, 
losing  three  or  four  more  bears  wounded,  owing 
to  a  large  tract  of  some  very  thick  j  ungle  at  some 
distance,  into  which  it  was  almost  impossible  to 
penetrate  and  follow  them. 

We  had  one  man  wounded  in  the  course  of 
these  beats,  but  he  was  only  clawed,  and  not 
very  severely,  as  one  of  our  bullets  had  shot  away 
the  bear's  upper  jaw.  Being  close  at  hand  we 
soon  rescued  him  from  his  unpleasant  position. 
This  was  the  only  accident. 

A  tiger  killed  a  bullock  not  very  far  from  our 
tents  one  night,  but  we  could  not  find  him.  I 
do  not  know  from  my  own  experience  if  it  be 
really  the  case  that  the  'Pheal,'  or  jackal  pro- 
vider, guides  the  tiger  to  prey ;  but  on  several 
occasions  we  turned  out  to  drive  away  one  making 
those  peculiar  and  ill-omened  cries,  from  the 
neighbourhood  of  our  horses,  about  the  time  this 
tiger  killed  the  bullock. 

A  friend,  who  joined  us  for  a  night  from  a  camp 
at  some  distance,  sat  up  all  one  night,  unsuccess- 


MY  SPORTING  NOVICIATE.  241 

fully,  for  a  panther.  We  however  secured  one  of 
its  cubs,  and  a  more  intractable  little  fiend  I  never 
saw.  Ductile  infancy  !  It  seemed  impossible  to 
tame  it.  We  got  it  into  Poona,  where  it  soon 
began  a  career  of  blood,  and  had  eventually  to  be 
destroyed. 

I  had  now  been  entered  to  pig-sticking  and  big- 
game  shooting  within  the  first  year  of  my  noviciate, 
but  it  was  yet  a  few  years  before  I  was  in  at  the 
death  of  a  tiger.  My  lines  had  lain  in  places 
where  hog-hunting  was  the  chosen,  and,  indeed, 
most  accessible  sport,  and  to  this  I  had  devoted 
myself  in  Cutch  and  Scinde.  Antelope,  gazelles, 
and  small  game  of  all  descriptions  and  in  large 
numbers,  with  a  few  neilghye,  I  had  killed;  but 
it  was  not  till  my  regiment  was  ordered  from 
Scinde  to  Guzerat  that  I  had  the  opportunity  of 
becoming  personally  acquainted  with  the  largest 
of  the  felines  in  his  native  haunts.  A  description 
of  this  I  give  in  the  next  chapter. 

In  the  year  following  the  trip  just  related,  we 
had  the  evil  fortune  to  form  part  of  the  Bombay 
garrison.  Life  there  was  not  to  my  taste  ;  but  I 
managed  to  make  the  most  of  my  opportunities, 
got  leavre,  and  in  company  with  a  young  gunner 

R 


242  FURTHER  EXPEDITIONS. 

brother,  just  out  from  England,  killed  a  few  bears 
in  this  same  neighbourhood.  I  also  again  visited 
the  Arkola  Grove  and  obtained  a  first  spear  or  two 
off  c  Kutty.'  That  dear  brother,  the  loved  and 
inseparable  companion  of  my  boyhood,  became  a 
great  shikaree,  and,  on  one  occasion,  killed  tigers 
right  and  left.  Alas  !  I  never  saw  him  again. 
A  very  few  years  afterwards  he  died  from  fever, 
within  a  few  miles  of  the  spot  where  I  subsequent- 
ly met  with  my  accident. 

A  trip  to  the  Punjaub  and  Cashmere,  and  a  visit 
to  the  Burnaur  valley  and  the  Himalayan  range 
of  the  Daoloo  Dhar,  where  I  got  burrel,  goorul, 
and  bear,  were  included  in  my  sporting-trips, 
before  I  was  stationed  at  Ahmedabad,  the  year 
preceding  the  outbreak  of  the  great  Indian  Mutiny. 


243 


CHAPTER  IV. 

TIGER-SHOOTING. 

AHMEDABAD — AN  IMPRESSIVE  SCENE— IN  THE  JUNGLE  AGAIN— A  BAD 
BEAT — A  TIGER  AT  LAST — HIT — INDUCED  TO  CHARGE — BAGGED  AT 
LAST— WHAT  BECAME  OF  THE  FIRST  TIGER  ? 

A  VERY  pleasant  and  pretty,  though  somewhat  hot 
station  is  that  of  Ahmedabad  in  the  province  of 
Guzerat.  When  the  nourishing  rains  of  the  mon- 
soon season  have,  as  if  by  magic,  transformed  the 
yellow  dessicated  soil  into  a  rich  green  carpeting, 
the  general  parade-ground  with  its  fine  trees, 
isolated,  and  in  small  topes  or  clumps,  might  well 
represent  an  English  park. 

Rich,  too,  in  fine  buildings  and  in  ruined 
palaces  and  tombs,  and  other  massive  creations  of 
stone  and  mortar,  the  evidences  of  a  grand  past 
and  another  rule,  are  the  environs  of  the  city  and 
neighbourhood  of  the  cantonments,  from  which  it 
is  distant  about  three  miles.  Both  are  replete  with 

R2 


244  AN  IMPRESSIVE  SCENE. 

an  interest  derived  not  only  from  their  picturesque 
aspect,  but  from  the  historical  associations  con- 
nected with  them. 

As  the  head  of  a  satrapy  under  the  old  Delhi 
regime,  and  principal  town  of  the  richest  province 
of  Western  India,  it  was,  and  still  is,  a  place  of 
much  importance.  But  it  is  from  its  Mahomedan 
connection  that  it  has  derived  so  many  features 
of  archaeological  interest,  for  the  Mahrattas,  into 
whose  hands  it  fell,  either  appropriated  or  destroyed, 
rather  than  erected. 

The  parade  ground,  of  which  I  have  made 
mention,  was  the  scene  of  a  tragic  act — punitive 
as  well  as  deterrent — at  the  time  of  the  great 
mutiny.  This  spectacle  I  witnessed,  being  then  aide- 
de-camp  to  the  general  commanding  the  division. 
At  a  signal  from  the  general — who,  at  that  time, 
had  also  been  entrusted  with  the  entire  control  of 
the  province,  civil  and  political — thirteen  wretched 
mutineers  were  launched  into  eternity.  Seven 
were  hung  on  a  line  of  gibbets  in  the  centre  of  a 
hollow  square.  Three  were  shot  with  musketry 
at  one  corner,  and  three  blown  from  guns  at 
another.  This  last  form  of  execution — excusable 
only  at  such  a  time  of  danger,  as  calculated  to 


PREPARATIONS  FOR  THE  JUNGLE.       245 

strike  terror — was  horrible  in  the  extreme.  Pity 
that  so  fair  a  scene  should  be  so  foully  marred ! 

However,  it  is  not  with  these  matters  that  I 
have  here  to  deal,  but  with  the  sporting  character 
of  the  district  in  the  year  preceding  that  great 
convulsion. 

Mac  had  succeeded  George — who  had  gone  to 
take  up  a  command  under  Sir  James  Outram — 
as  adjutant,  and  I  was  now  a  lieutenant. 

I  had  already  frequently  tried  the  merits  of 
the  country  in  its  hunting  capacity,  and  had 
indeed  been  elected  as  secretary  and  manager  of 
the  'Ahmedabad  Hunt,'  but  Mac  and  I  were 
both  anxious  to  try  the  remoter  jungles  for  big 

game.  Tommy  H ,  an  ensign  of  the  regiment, 

also  of  sporting  proclivities,  gladly  joined  us  in  this 
innocent  desire,  so  we  obtained  our  leave  within 
musters,  made  all  our  preparations  for  the  trip, 
engaged  shikarees,  arid  decided  on  our  line  of 
country;  Mac,  by  virtue  of  seniority,  being  in 
command. 

Tommy  and  I  chummed  together,  and  had  a 
large  bungalow  on  the  banks  of  the  river  which 
flows  past  Ahmedabad.  Great  expectations  usually 
precede  any  trip  of  this  kind,  and  I  really  think 


246  OUR  FIRST  CAMP. 

that  those  expectations,  and  all  the  preparations 
and  conversations  to  which  they  give  rise,  are  by 
no  means  the  less  interesting  part  of  a  jungle 
trip.  Anticipation  is  so  frequently  superior  to 
realisation. 

Our  preparations  were,  however,  all  completed, 
and  we  joined  our  little  camp  at  the  village  of 
Wantra  in  the  Morassa  district,  about  sixty  miles 
from  Ahmedabad,  full  of  hope,  for  we  had  re- 
ceived good  khubber  (information). 

We  were  pitched  cm  the  banks  of  a  river,  under 
a  tope  of  mango-trees  at  some  little  distance  from 
the  village,  in  the  midst  of  the  clearing  on  which 
the  village  cultivators  grew  their  crops.  This 
was  studded  with  wells,  from  which  water  was 
drawn  by  bullocks  in  huge  skins,  and  distributed 
according  to  need  by  the  little  runlets  which  irri- 
gated the  fields. 

The  river  here,  the  Meyswah,  fringed  with  green 
bushes  in  many  places,  was  at  this  season  a  suc- 
cession of  deep  pools  connected  by  a  narrow  thread 
or  stream  of  water — in  some  places  by  percolation 
only.  These  pools  aiforded  charming  bathing- 
places,  and  it  was  among  the  jow  (bastard  cypress) 
and  other  jungle,  and  midst  the  boulders  which, 


ILL-LUCK  AT  FIRST.  247 

in  parts,  strewed  this,  and  a  neighbouring  river, 
that  we  expected  to  find  tigers.  As  the  water 
dries  up  in  the  hills,  they  seek  these  moist 
retreats. 

Jungle,  more  or  less,  was  all  about,  and  away 
to  the  north,  across  the  river,  the  low  hills,  jungle- 
covered,  developed  into  higher  and  higher  ranges 
as  they  receded  till  the  furthest  attained  a  con- 
siderable elevation. 

It  was  a  pretty  spot  enough,  and  the  shelter  of 
the  mango-trees  ample  for  our  needs.  Tommy 
and  I  shared  a  hill  Rowtee,  while  Mac's  goodly 
form  reposed  in  a  small  bechoba  (without  pole) 
tent,  that  is  to  say  when  we  used  them.  Our 
beds,  however,  were  generally  spread  outside  for 
the  sake  of  the  freshness.  We  more  than  once 
heard  the  grunting  of  tigers  in  the  river,  for  they 
do  not  roar  ordinarily,  but  this  did  not  deter  us 
from  open-air  repose. 

We  began  badly.  We  beat  the  three  patches  in 
the  liver  bed  which  constituted  the  Wantra  jungle 
near  our  camp,  but  the  only  resident  was  a  pan- 
ther, which  managed  to  sneak  away  unobserved. 
A  local  hunter,  however,  came  across  him,  and 
killed  him  that  evening,  much  to  our  disgust.  On 


248  KHUBBEB  FROM  THE  RIVER. 

the   following   day,  we   also    unsuccessfully  beat 

several  patches  of  jungle,  and  then  sent  our  shik- 

i 

arees  to  examine  a  river,  the  Majun,  a  few  miles 
off,  for  we  were  beginning  to  think  they  had 
misled  us,  as  Wantra  was  blank.  We  had,  though, 
ourselves  seen  fresh  pugs,  and  they  were  confident 
of  showing  us  the  game  if  we  were  patient,  which, 
we  determined  to  be,  and  two  or  three  days  after 
were  rewarded  for  our  determination. 

Runners  came  in  from  the  shikarees  to  say 
that  they  had  pugged  either  one  or  two  tigers,  and 
ringed  one  at  any  rate  in  the  same  patch  of  jow 
which  we  had  unsuccessfully  beaten  the  day  before 
in  the  river  Majun.  It  is  always  advisable  to  let 
tigers  get  well  settled  in  their  midday  lair.  If  the 
mornings  be  cool,  as  they  were  at  this  time,  they 
will  often  wander  about  till  late,  but  they  dislike 
the  heat  of  the  hot- weather  sun,  and  greatly  feel 
it  if  obliged  to  move  in  its  fierce  heat  when  the  day 
is  advanced. 

We  had  ample  time,  therefore,  to  eat  our  break- 
fast without  hurry ;  indeed,  we  had  finished 
before  the  khubber  arrived.  We  then  rode  off 
with  our  guns  accompanying  us,  and  in  due  course 


THE  SCENE  OF  OPERATIONS.  249 

arrived  at  a  few  huts  which  constituted  the  village 
of  Seitpore,  six  miles  or  so  from  Wantra. 

Solemn  and  impressive  was  the  greeting  of 
Rooper  and  Gobur  the  shikarees,  but,  behind  the 
gravity  of  their  address,  there  appeared  an  illumi- 
nation of  the  countenance  which  we  thought 
looked  well.  A  certain  anxiety  to  be  the  first 
to  speak,  a  covert  smile  when  spoken  to,  all  be- 
tokened a  satisfied  condition  of  mind  which 
augured  well  for  a  find  at  last. 

The  river,  contracted  in  some  parts,  was  in 
others  enlarged  by  the  mass  of  water  which  came 
down  from  the  hills  in  the  monsoon,  with  broad 
spaces,  overgrown  with  jow  or  bastard  cypress, 
interspersed  with  small  trees.  The  channel  of  the 
river,  reduced  to  hot-weather  dimensions,  wound 
its  course  on  one  side. 

It  was  to  one  of  these  spaces  we  were  conduct- 
ed, where  it  may  have  been  a  couple  of  hundred 
yards  across,  and  twice  as  long,  contracting  to  the 
normal  size  of  the  river  at  both  ends. 

Here  one  tiger  for  certain,  they  told  us,  was 
lying.  Another  had  been  moving  about,  but  the 
shikarees  believed  it  to  be  in  a  patch  further  up 


250  THE  CONSULTATION. 

the  river.  The  banks  on  both  sides  were  fairly 
clear  of  jungle,  save  in  the  nullahs  which  cleft 
them,  but  at  a  short  distance  back  jungle  was 
everywhere.  A  nice  cool,  tigerish  place  it  looked, 
and  we  held  consultation  with  the  shikarees  and 
local  puggees  (trackers)  as  to  the  best  way  to 
beat  it. 

All  seemed  to  agree  that  any  tiger  driven  out 
would  break  on  the  side  furthest  from  the  little 
village,  and  on  which  the  heavy  jungle  closely  im- 
pinged on  the  river,  and  that  the  points  of  exit 
on  this  side  were  those  which  required  guarding. 
Accordingly  the  most  favourable  points  were 
selected,  and  we  drew  lots  to  assign  our  respective 
positions. 

The  jungle  we  determined  to  beat  up-stream, 

and  to  Tommy  it  fell  to  guard  a  pass  lowest  down. 

I   came  next  on  a  withered  bit  of  tree  above  a 

cleft  in  the  bank,  and  to  Mac  was  allotted  a  tree 

overlooking  a  nullah  furthest  up,  all  on  the  same 

side,   with    the   channel  of  the  river  under   the 

bank  at  our  feet.     We  got  into  trees  on  the  river 

bank,   with    the   double   object    of   obtaining    a 

greater  command  over   the  jungle   in  front,  and 

securing  a  safer  position,  though   the    boughs  of 


MY  FIRST  VIEW.  251 

the  small  trees  were  often  so  near  the  ground  as 
to  afford  but  a  doubtful  advantage  in  case  of  a 
charge.  Chakoos  or  look-outs  were  posted  in 
the  jungle  itself. 

Again  we  thought  that  disappointment  was  to 
be  our  lot,  for  the  beaters,  in  straggling  clumps  of 
men,  had  beaten  past  us  without  a  tiger  being 
viewed.  There  were,  however,  many  thick 
patches  which  had  been  left  untouched,  and.  under 
the  direction  of  the  shikarees,  some  of  these  were 
being  driven  when  there  was  a  cry  from  one  of  the 
chakoos  that  he  spied  the  tiger.  Almost  imme- 
diately afterwards,  my  eye  fell  on  an  object  creeping 
slowly  along  in  the  shade  of  the  jungle  almost 
opposite,  but  it  as  quickly  disappeared.  Again, 
however,  I  caught  sight  of  a  tawny  body,  sneaking 
along  low  and  stealthily,  and  I  knew  that  I  had 
my  first  view  of  a  tiger  in  its  native  jungles. 

It  was  fifty  or  sixty  yards  off,  but  I  fired,  and 
it  acknowledged  my  shot  by  springing  up  with  a 
roar  and  dashing  down  the  jungle  with  full  steam 
on,  so  quick  indeed  that  Mac,  a  short  distance  on 
my  left,  and  who  had  not  seen  it  till  then,  did  not 
get  a  shot.  It  galloped  into  a  thick  patch  of 
jungle  at  the  extreme  end  nearest  Mac,  and  which 


252  A  RUNNING  SHOT. 

the  beaters  were  at  that  moment  about  to  beat. 
They  soon  retreated,  and  assembled  on  the  further 
side,  where  their  demonstrations  were  so  far 
effectual  as  to  cause  the  tiger  to  slip  down  into 
the  water  channel  and  come  galloping  along  the 
shallow  part  towards  Mac's  position.  He  let  him 
come  on,  dashing  the  water  right  and  left,  till  at 
about  forty  yards  distance  he  let  drive  both  barrels. 
Round  and  round  spun  the  tiger  roaring  vigorous- 
ly, and  making  a  great  commotion  in  the  water, 
and  it  was  not  easy  to  get  a  good  shot.  After  a 
few  evolutions  it  sprang  into  the  jungle,  receiving 
shots  from  each  of  us,  and,  evidently  badly  hit, 
4  lay-up '  in  a  thick  patch  close  to  the  water  a  little 
lower  down  than  my  position,  but  out  of  our  ken. 
Some  flower-pots — very  excellent  fireworks  for  this 
work  and  capital  as  skirmishers — heaved  from  a 
distance,  had  a  beneficial  effect,  and  roused  him 
from  this,  but  only  to  sneak  into  another  thick 
part. 

The  men  were  all  now  collected  at  the  lower 
end  whence  they  had  commenced  originally,  and 
in  a  minute  or  two  a  tiger,  apparently  a  fresh 
one,  came  bounding  down  the  jungle,  clearing 
enormous  spaces  at  every  stride  when  he  showed, 


A  SWIMMING  SHOT.  253 

and  flashed  past  rather  on  the  other  side  like  a 
streak  of  lightning  without  our  getting  a  shot. 
He  hovered  for  a  brief  space  in  the  dense  patch  at 
the  end  nearest  Mac,  then  slipped  into  the  water 
as  the  other  had  done,  and  at  about  the  same 
place.  Instead,  however,  of  keeping  to  the  shal- 
lows and  returning  down-stream,  he  boldly  plunged 
into  a  deep  pool  of  water,  which  there  separated 
him  from  our  bank,  and  began  to  swim  across  to 
the  other  side,  the  one  on  which  we  were,  but  at 
a  distance  above  of  over  a  hundred  yards  from 
Mac,  and  half  as  much  again  from  me.  He  did 
not  present  much  of  a  mark,  though  a  steady 
one,  for  only  his  head,  with  top  of  shoulder  and 
line  of  back  showed,  but  Mac  was  equal  to  the 
occasion,  and  delivered  a  deadly  bullet  from  his 
heavy  rifle  even  as  he  swam. 

The  tiger  reared  up  in  the  water,  roaring  vigor- 
ously, and  I  seized  the  opportunity  and  also  put 
in  a  bullet,  which  smartly  told,  from  my  single 
rifle.  Mac  then  brought  his  left  barrel  into  play, 
and  the  beast,  hard  hit,  turned  and  re-entered  the 
thick  patch. 

A  large  body  of  men  had  collected  on  the  other 
side  of  this,  and,  brandishing  swords  and  beating 


254  A  NEW  POSITION. 

the  nearest  bushes  with  sticks,  kept  in  one  corn- 
pact  mass.  A  flower-pot  or  two  was  heaved  in, 
and  at  them  he  went.  Fortunately  they  held 
well  together  and  stood  firm.  Turning  when 
close  to  them,  he  slunk  back  into  the  jow,  and 
Tommy,  who  had  crossed  over  to  that  side,  got  a 
snap  shot  as  he  disappeared. 

Some  chakoos,  who  had  descended  from  their 
trees  a  little  further  back  arid  were  chattering 
with  some  men  on  the  further  bank,  now  at- 
tracted the  beast's  attention.  He  got  up  with  a 
growl,  and  a  half  charge  in  their  direction  sent 
them  flying  into  trees  out  of  which  they  ought 
not  to  have  come.  One  man  had  only  time  to 
get  into  a  small  one  not  above  ten  feet  from  the 
ground,  and  it  was  close  below  this  that  the  tiger 
now  took  up  his  position. 

We  could  see  the  bushes  waving  as  the  poor 
beast  clawed  at  them  and  the  ground  in  his  pain, 
and  we  fired  from  our  side  two  or  three  shots  at 
where  we  supposed  his  body  to  be,  but  without 
inducing  him  to  show.  So  we  together  went 
round  to  the  other  bank,  were  joined  by  the 
shikarees,  and  all  three  of  us  stood  there,  about 
thirty  yards  from  the  tiger,  but  without  being 


THE  CHAKOO  IS  URGED.  255 

able  to  see  him.  Then  Mac  and  I  climbed  into  a 
low  tree,  and  Tommy  into  another,  in  hopes  of 
being  able  to  get  a  sight  of  him,  but  all  with  no 
effect, 

We  now  debated  what  was  to  be  done,  and 
arranged  to  advance  together  towards  the  spot, 
shoulder  to  shoulder,  through  the  jow.  But, 
before  doing  so,  old  Roopur,  the  shikaree,  begged 
us  to  wait  till  they  made  one  more  effort  to  induce 
the  chakoo  near  whose  tree  the  tiger  was  lying 
to  break  off  and  throw  a  bough  at  it,  and  so  make 
it  show. 

'What,'  said  Gobur,  c  do  you  expect  that 
wretched  one  in  the  tree  to  throw  anything  ?  why, 
he  is  ready  to  drop  out  of  it  from  fright.' 

And,  indeed,  the  poor  fellow,  well  within  a 
tiger's  spring,  had  hitherto  steadily  resisted  all 
the  appeals  made  to  him — some  in  moving  terms, 
others  in  objurgatory  ones,  and  would  do  nothing 
more  than  point  in  the  direction  of  the  tiger. 

1  Arree,'  said  Roopur,  '  what  harm  can  come  to 
you?  When  the  tiger  arises,  he  will  eat  the 
bullets  of  these  three  mighty  lords.  What  more 
would  you  have  ?  Throw  away,  oh  !  my  brother. 
Oh  !  son  of  a  hero.' 


256  THE  SON  OF  A  HERO. 

But  the  son  of  a  hero  remained  perfectly 
passive  and  silent.  Even  the  delicate  compliment 
to  his  bravery  was  insufficient  to  arouse  his 
spirit.  The  tiger  was  a  little  too  close  for  com- 
pliments to  be  of  much  avail.  An  English  keeper 
would  perhaps  have  begun  by  anathematising  the 
culprit's  eyes.  Gobur  began  in  another  strain. 
He  cast  reflections  on  the  female  relatives  of  the 
unhappy  man. 

4  Oh,  miserable  son  of  a  dishonoured  mother  !' 
he  said,  using  an  idiom  even  more  vigorous,  but 
this  sufficiently  represents  it.  '  Look  here.  What 
can  happen  to  you  with  these  three  tiger-slaying 
sahibs?  Are  they  not  ready  with  a  thousand 
bullets  for  that  tiger.  Throw,  or  may  all  your 
female  kindred  be,'  &c.,  &c. 

'  It's  only  a  little  girl,'  chimed  in  one  of  the 
gun-bearers.  (  Let  her  alone.' 

The  whole  pack  of  beaters,  too,  at  some  little 
distance  in  the  rear,  from  that  safe  position  also 
alternately  besought  and  threatened  him. 

There  was  little  real  danger  for  the  man,  for, 
though  within  easy  reach  of  a  tiger's  spring,  this 
one  was  badly  wounded,  and  the  tree  completely 
covered  by  our  guns. 


THE  CHAKOO  CHARGED.  257 

We  had  come  to  the  conclusion  that  we  must 
enter  the  jungle  and  advance  on  the  tiger,  when 
the  wretched  creature  at  last  consented  to  act  on 
the  suggestion  of  the  shikarees,  and  broke  off  a 
piece  of  bough  with  much  caution  and  threw  it 
at  the  tiger.  The  beast  at  once  jumped  up,  and, 
with  a  growl,  charged  towards  the  trunk  of  the 
tree,  but  was  quickly  bowled  over  by  our  united 
discharge,  and  again  became  hidden  from  view. 
The  man  now  recovered  his  speech,  and  said  that 
the  tiger  was  nearly  dead.  So  Mac,  covered  by 
us,  made  a  circuit  and  got  into  the  tree  where 
the  man  was.  He  fired  a  shot  to  make  sure,  but 
it  was  all  up  with  poor  stripes,  and  we  were  soon 
examining  our  first  tiger,  or,  as  it  proved  to  be, 
a  tigress,  arid  a  fairly  large  one. 

What  became  of  the  first  tiger — for  we  all 
believed  this  to  be  a  second  one— we  could  not 
learn.  It  was  drawing  on  towards  evening,  and 
we  had  little  time  for  further  examination.  So, 
as  the  shikarees  could  make  nothing  of  it,  we  at 
last  desisted,  and  rode  back  by  the  jungle  path  to 
our  little  camp,  which  we  reached  at  dusk,  not  ill- 
pleased  with  our  success. 

We  lost  the  best  part  of  a  week  by  going 

s 


258  THE  BAG  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

further  in  among  the  hills,  where  we  wounded 
and  lost  a  bear,  but  saw  no  tigers  there,  though  it 
was  believed  stray  ones  were  about.  Altogether, 
however,  we  managed  to  bag  six  tigers  on  this 
trip,  besides  less  important  game,  all  of  them  in 
the  neighbourhood  of  the  rivers.  I  do  not  here 
propose  to  enter  into  the  details  of  how  each 
was  found,  fought,  and  fell,  though  some  of  the 
incidents  were  not  lacking  in  interest ;  but  this 
narrative  of  the  encounter  with  our  first  tiger 
I  have  selected  from  my  somewhat  copious  jour- 
nal, as,  I  hope,  not  devoid  of  interest  to  others, 
and  as  being  a  fair  specimen  of  the  sport  as  at 
that  time  pursued  in  the  Guzerat  jungles  by  the 
subaltern  of  the  period. 

Our  little  camp  that  night  was  the  scene  of 
much  activity  and  no  little  satisfaction.  The 
native  choumars-dhers,  men  of  the  lowest  caste, 
who  are  obliged  to  reside  outside  the  ordinary 
village — were  elevated  into  important  function- 
aries on  the  occasion,  for  to  them  fell  the  inter- 
esting occupation  of  skinning  the  tiger  previous 
to  its  being  pegged  down  to  dry,  and  round  them 
gathered  many  spectators,  chattering  and  smok- 
ing as  they  regarded  the  operation. 


PAYING  THE  BEATERS.  259 

Some  years  ago  an  illustration  of  a  similar 
scene  appeared  in  the  Graphic,  under  the  head,  I 
think,  of  '  Who  killed  the  tiger?'  and  very  admir- 
ably it  exhibited  the  exact  positions  and  appear- 
ance of  these  men.  I  could  believe  that  I  had 
seen  the  very  self-same  figures  and  faces,  so  char- 
acteristic of  the  class  are  these  sketches. 

Shikarees  and  beaters  were  rendered  happy  by 
gratuities  and  additional  pay,  and  also  by  a  tot  of 
Mowrah — a  strong  spirit  distilled  from  the  flowers 
of  the  Mowar-tree,  which  was  served  out  to  them 
while  being  paid.  They  provided  their  own  cups, 
which  consisted  of  the  leaf  of  a  certain  tree 
pinned  into  cup-shape  by  thorns. 

We  made  a  point  of  paying  the  men  always 
ourselves,  and  not  leaving  it  to  servant,  shikarees, 
or  other  middlemen  to  do  so.  Such  a  course  can- 
not be  too  strongly  condemned.  The  poor  ignor- 
ant creatures  are  sure  to  get  fleeced — more  or 
less — and  the  sahibs  either  get  the  credit  of 
issuing  short  pay,  or  of  not  taking  the  trouble  to 
see  that  their  dues  are  received  by  those  who 
have  earned  them.  It  is  for  the  interest  of  the 
hunters — apart  from  all  considerations  of  what  is 
right  and  just — that  they  should  themselves  on 

s  2 


260        TREATMENT  OF  THE  BEATERS. 

all  occasions  either  personally,  or  under  their 
immediate  superin tendance,  pay  the  men  their 
small  pittance. 

I  dwell  on  this  subject,  as  I  have  before  done 
in  my  sporting  works,  because  I  have  so  often 
known  that  the  want  of  a  little  energy  or  trouble 
in  the  matter  has  led  to  gross  injustice  to  those 
who  contribute  so  much  to  the  sport  of  English 
gentlemen,  and  eventually  to  the  limitation  of 
that  sport  by  rendering  beaters  unprocurable. 
Another  word.  Kicks  and  cuffs  and  abuse  to 
those  '  infernal  niggers  '  on  every  slight  provoca- 
tion is  not  the  way  to  ensure  success.  If  a  man 
be  really  useless  or  delinquent,  let  him  be  calmly 
judged,  and  punished  by  his  pay  being  withheld, 
or  by  other  punishment,  according  to  the  merits 
of  the  case.  But  let  it  be  done,  so  to  speak, 
openly  and  judicially  on  inquiry,  so  that  his 
fellows  may  understand  that  the  sahib,  though 
just,  is  not  to  be  imposed  on.  A  joke  or  cheery 
salutation  is  not  without  its  good  effect,  and  will 
do  far  more  than  an  oath  or  a  contemptuous  dis- 
regard, in  smoothing  the  true  sportsman's  way 
among  the  people. 

We  found  no  difficulty  in  collecting  men ;  in- 


ADVICE  TO  YOUNG  SPORTSMEN.  261 

deed,  they  followed  us  to  a  distance  on  the  bare 
chance  of  being  employed,  because  they  felt  con- 
fidence in  us,  and  that  whatever  was  due  to  them 
would  be  received  by  them.  We  only  gave  the 
usual  pay  at  that  time  current,  with  occasional 
'  inam '  (a  slight  increase)  when  successful ;  but 
they  got  it  in  full,  without  deduction  by  under- 
strappers. 

With  this  piece  of  advice  to  young  sportsmen 
in  India,  I  may  well  conclude  this  chapter  on 
tiger-shooting. 


262 


CHAPTER  V. 

ONCE  MORE  AMONG  BIG  GAME. 

ARRIVAL  AT  MOUNT  ABOO — OFFER  OF  TWO  APPOINTMENTS  —I  SELECT  A 
CIVILIAN  POST— I  JOIN  A  FLYING  COLUMN  AS  POLITICAL  OFFICER — 
GO  IN  SEARCH  OF  MY  COLUMN,  AND  COME  INTO  A  PARADISE  FOR  BIG 
GAME— I  FIND  BEARS— PANTHERS— TIGERS— BEARS — A  BEAT  IN 
RAJPOOTANA. 

BEFORE  I  return  to  my  first  love,  and  describe 
some  farther  charms  appertaining  to  that  fair 
sport  of  hog-hunting,  it  occurs  to  me  to  reproduce 
a  mixed  tiger  and  bear  affair,  which  happened 
while  I  was  in  Rajpootana,  especially  as  there 
then  occurred  a  very  singular  scene,  dangerous 
to  the  actors,  but  excessively  ludicrous,  though 
painfully  so,  to  the  on-lookers,  of  which  I  was 
one.  I  have  attempted  feebly  to  depict  it,  but 
neither  pen  nor  pencil  can  give  any  adequate 
idea  of  the  scene  and  its  rapidly-shifting  changes. 
I  have  no  intention  of  inflicting  on  the  reader 
any  detailed  description  of  my  military  life  and 


CHANGES  IN  MY  POSITION.  263 

adventures,  and  apologise  for  thus  briefly  and 
sketchily  referring  to  such,  in  order  to  account 
for  the  change  in  ray  position,  and  also  for  my 
presence  at  the  place  in  question. 

The  embers  of  the  great  Indian  Mutiny  were 
still  smouldering  when,  on  the  breaking-up  of 
the  Rajpootana  Field  Force,  which,  under  General 
Roberts,  had  been  operating  in  conjunction  with 
the  forces  under  Sir  Hugh  Rose  and  General 
Whitelock  in  clearing  the  central  regions  of  India 
of  rebels,  I  accompanied  my  chief,  whose  aide-de- 
camp I  was,  on  his  return  to  resume  the  divisional 
command  in  Guzerat.  On  arrival  at  the  foot  of 
Mount  Aboo,  that  distinguished  officer,  Sir  George 
Lawrence,  was  kind  enough  to  offer  me  the  choice 
of  two  appointments,  one  political,  as  one  of  his 
assistants  in  the  Rajpootana  agency;  the  other 
military,  as  second  in  command  of  an  irregular 
corps.  This  was  an  emlarras-des-richesses  for  a 
friendless  sub.,  who  could  claim  no  affinity  with 
Bombay  big- wigs,  or  possessed  any  family  interest 
in  that  presidency;  my  present  appointment  as 
aide-de-camp,  and  others  I  had  temporarily  acted 
in,  being  accidental  and  local.  By  the  advice 
of  General  (afterwards  Sir)  H.  Roberts,  who  con- 


264  JOIN  A  FLYING  COLUMN. 

sidered  the  political  line  as  the  best  for  an  aspir- 
ing young  officer,  I  selected  the  first ;  and  accord- 
ingly bade  adieu  to  my  gallant  old  chief,  and 
ascended  the  hill  to  the  agency  head-quarters. 

But  I  was  not  destined  long  to  enjoy  the  repose 
of  civilian  life,  fairly  earned  by  nearly  two  years 
of  campaigning  in  Persia  and  the  Mutiny  War. 
The  ubiquitous  Tantia  Topee  was  doubling  here 
and  there,  eluding  one  force  after  another ;  or,  as 
frequently  happened,  by  sacrificing  a  portion, 
temporarily  preserving  the  rest.  Under  the  pres- 
sure of  circumstances,  over  which  he  had  no 
control,  he  had  once  more  entered  Rajpootana, 
whence  he  had  been  hustled,  with  heavy  loss, 
only  a  few  months  before. 

I  was  deputed,  therefore,  by  General  Lawrence 
to  join,  as  political  officer,  one  or  other  of  the 
flying  columns  which  were  detached  in  pursuit, 
or  to  intercept,  or  to  cover  important  places.  A 
troop  of  Sikh  horse,  part  of  a  small  body  which 
Lord  Lawrence  had  sent  to  his  brother  from  the 
Punjaub,  was  also  placed  under  my  command, 
and  were  with  me  and  under  Colonel  Holmes  in 
the  night  affair  at  Seekur.  From  this  force  I  was 
passed  over  to  that  under  Brigadier  Parke,  and 


MARCH  FOR  ANOTHER  COLUMN.  265 

after  marching  with  that  for  some  weeks,  left  it 
at  Jalra  Patun,  on  the  southern  confines  of  Raj- 
pootana,  and  made  my  way  to  Neemuch,  getting 
a  few  sambur  en  route  between  Jalra  Patun  and 
the  Mukundra  Pass. 

At  Neemuch  I  was  instructed  to  join  the 
column  under  Brigadier  Showers,  if  I  could  find 
it.  On  this  roving  commission  I  decided  to  make 
my  way  to  Kotah  by  the  short  jungle  route, 
haunted  though  it  was  said  to  be  by  plundering 
bands  of  Meenas,  leaving  directions  to  be  sum- 
moned back  to  Neemuch  if  General  Showers' 
whereabouts  was  ascertained  in  any  other 
direction. 

I  was  marching  by  regular  ordinary  marches 
from  twelve  to  fifteen  miles  a  day  usually,  for  my 
small  escort  of  some  ten  Sikh  troopers  and  my- 
self had  been  knocking  about  for  months ;  so 
when  the  morning  march  was  over,  and  our  little 
camp  pitched,  the  rest  of  the  day  was  before  us 
for  sport  when  procurable. 

Four  or  five  marches  brought  me  to  a  place 
called  Kearee,  and  I  had  now  entered  the  country 
which  was  the  scene  of  operations  of  Captain 
(now  General)  Rice,  and  described  by  him  in  his 


266  RICE'S  COUNTRY. 

excellent  and  interesting  work  on  tiger-shooting. 
I  was  told  that  he  and  his  party  some  years 
before  had  killed  several  tigers  in  the  neighbour- 
hood of  the  river  which  here  waters  a  valley 
below  a  range  of  hills,  and  so  I  determined  to  have 
a  try.  The  season,  however,  was  yet  too  early. 
Water  was  still  fairly  abundant  in  the  hills,  and 
the  game  had  not  settled  down  to  summer 
quarters. 

Being  now,  so  to  speak,  a  man  having  authority, 
the  Thanadar  of  the  little  town  insisted  on  accom- 
panying me  to  the  field,  notwithstanding  my 
earnest  protest.  He  came  gaily,  but  somewhat 
conspicuously,  clad  in  holiday  attire,  which  con- 
sisted of  white  flowing  raiment.  However,  it  was 
not  for  very  long.  The  well-nourished  function- 
ary, together  with  a  fat  Jemadar,  soon  succumbed, 
and  I  had  the  selfish  gratification  of  leaving  them 
dead-beat  in  the  jungle. 

At  one  beat  I  was  posted  covering  a  gorge 
which  cut  deep  into  the  hills,  and  thought  I  was 
in  for  something  good.  My  attention  was  attracted 
by  the  movements  of  an  animal  just  below  me. 
It  proved,  however,  only  to  be  a  miserable  hysena. 
While  watching  it  a  sambur  broke  away  from 


A  PANTHER  SHOT.  267 

behind  me  ;  but  both  went  away,  of  course,  un- 
fired  at,  as  nobler  game  was  my  object.  I  found 
fresh  c  sign '  of  tigers,  but  saw  none  in  the 
flesh. 

The  next  day  I  ascended  the  ghaut,  and 
marched  about  fifteen  miles  to  Singrowlee.  From 
the  top  of  the  pass  above  Kearee  I  obtained 
a  fine  view  over  a  wide  waste  of  brown  jungle 
and  stony  hills,  while  just  below,  in  the  bottom, 
this  was  broken,  and  the  eye  relieved  by  glimpses 
of  the  pools  of  water  and  clumps  of  green  trees. 
As  I  neared  Singrowlee,  I  overtook  a  party 
of  wandering  gipsies,  or,  I  believe,  to  describe 
them  more  correctly,  jogies  (religious  wanderers). 
There  appeared  to  be  some  great  excitement 
among  them  as  I  approached.  Several,  with 
their  dogs,  were  running  into  the  jungle,  and  two 
or  three  shots,  fired  close  at  hand,  indicated  sport. 
I  rode  on  with  my  two  orderly  sowars,  deeming 
they  were  after  a  hare  or  some  small  game,  and 
thought  no  more  about  it.  Shortly  after  reach- 
ing my  little  camp,  these  very  men  brought  in  a 
panther,  which  they  had  shot  in  some  bushes 
close  to  the  road  as  I  passed. 

Learning  that  the  next  range  of  hills  was  good 


268  THE  KOONDS  IN  THE  HILLS. 

for  big  game,  I  engaged  these  men  to  accompany 
me,  and,  with  the  assistance  of  the  Jemadar  of 
Police,  collected  some  men  for  a  beat.  Singrowlee 
is  the  last  post  in  this  direction  under  the 
Neemuch  commission ;  all  beyond  belongs  to 
native  states,  and  the  road,  or  rather  jungle 
track,  was  at  that  time  so  infested  with  Meena 
marauders  that  travellers  of  substance  no  longer 
used  it. 

Another  affluent  of  the  river  Chumbal  watered 
the  cultivated  land  about  Singrowlee,  and  con- 
tained a  few  small  mahseer  and  other  fish.  The 
range  of  hills  was  four  or  five  miles  off,  and  it 
was  the  rocky  indentations  or  basins  which  were 
scooped  from  the  abrupt  face  of  these  hills  which 
it  was  designed  to  beat.  These  re-entering  gorges 
were  filled  with  fallen  rocks  and  jungle,  and 
formed  most  perfect  retreats  for  wild  beasts. 
They  were,  if  I  recollect  aright,  called  '  koonds,' 
or  'koondahs.'  I  find  it  written  both  ways  in 
my  journal.  I  believe  Captain  Rice  tried  these 
places,  as  well  as  those  farther  back. 

I  took  up  my  position  in  a  tree  in  the  neck  of 
the  first  we  assailed.  This  opened  on  to  the  more 
level  ground  below  the  range,  and,  being  only 


MY  POSITION.  269 

about  sixty  yards  or  so  wide,  gave  me  entire 
command  from  side  to  side,  further  in,  the  koondah 
expanded  to  a  width  of  some  hundreds  of  yards ; 
down  the  centre  a  rugged  channel,  which  in  the 
monsoon  formed  a  torrent,  drained  the  basin. 
The  latter  was  for  the  most  part  surrounded  by 
scarped  rock,  in  many  parts  precipitous,  but  on 
one  side  the  hill  sloped  more  gradually  into  the 
koondah.  At  this  point  some  of  the  jogies  were 
posted  in  trees  with  their  matchlocks,  with  in- 
structions to  blaze  away  with  powder  only,  and 
turn  towards  me  any  beast  attempting  to  break 
in  that  direction.  I  thought  myself  sure  of  a 
shot,  should  any  animal  be  driven  from  the  broken 
ground  in  the  koondah.  The  beaters  ascended 
the  hills  and  went  round  to  the  head  along  the 
top,  and  thence  hurled  in  rock  and  stones,  and 
kept  up  a  continued  howling. 

Soon,  from  the  row,  it  was  evident  that  some 
beast  had  been  viewed,  and  I  kept  my  eye  well- 
skinned  in  observation  of  the  nullah  below  me. 
Presently  two  or  three  shots  were  fired  from  the 
direction  of  the  slope  where  the  jogies  were  posted. 
My  mind  somewhat  misgave  me.  Were  those 
blank  charges  whose  sounds  I  had  heard,  or  were 


270  THE  JOGIES  DO  IT. 

bullets  in  front  of  the  powder?  Expecting  each 
moment  to  see  something  come  in  my  direction, 
the  excitement  of  the  position  was  redoubled, 
when  there  arose  a  hubbub,  which  was  not  as 
that  of  men  beating  out  a  living  beast.  Soon  a 
rumour  reached  me  that  a  tiger  had  been  wounded 
by  the  jogies,  and  this  was  shortly  confirmed  by 
the  announcement  that  the  tiger  was  killed. 

I  was  very  wroth.  All  the  expense  I  had  in- 
curred was  to  provide  sport  for  the  jogies.  I 
ordered  the  culprits  to  be  brought  before  me, 
intending  to  break  matchlocks,  or  visit  on  their 
offending  heads  some  other  exhibition  of  my  dis- 
approval of  their  disobedience  of  my  orders. 
Fortunately  they  were  long  in  making  their  ap- 
pearance, and  I  had  time  to  cool.  When  they 
did  come,  they  seemed  to  think  they  had  done 
a  rather  meritorious  action.  I  found  that  one 
fellow  had  put  down  his  long  matchlock,  and 
blazed  into  the  tigress,  as  it  proved  to  be,  as  it 
sneaked  along  below  his  tree,  killing  it  dead. 
We  found  afterwards  that  it  was  in  cub  with  five 
cubs. 

I  was  somewhat  pacified  on  learning  that  there 


A  TEMPLE  IN  THE  JUNGLE.          271 

was  another  equally  good  koondah  round  the 
shoulder  of  the  hill ;  but  I  collected  the  jogies' 
matchlocks  till  the  beating  was  over. 

Between  the  entrances  to  these  two  koondahs 
and  just  below  the  projecting  spur  which  separ- 
ated them  was  a  pool  of  water,  overlooked  by  a 
small,  picturesque,  ruined  temple,  overgrown  with 
creepers  and  tangle,  and  dedicated  to  Mata  Devee. 
It  was  no  inappropriate  spot  in  which  to  propi- 
tiate the  goddess  of  destruction.  There  were 
many  tracks  of  wild  animals  about  the  pool,  and 
no  doubt  many  a  shot  could  have  been  obtained 
by  keeping  night  guard  over  it.  This  night- 
shooting  has  many  attractions,  but  it  was  not  a 
form  of  sport  which  much  commended  itself  to 
me.  Here  we  watered,  before  proceeding  to  beat 
the  other  koondah,  and  made  arrangements  as  to 
the  way  in  which  this  was  to  be  conducted. 

The  experience  of  the  first  beat,  and  subse- 
quent consideration,  led  me  to  conclude  that  it 
would  be  better  to  be  stationed  in  some  pass  at 
one  side,  or  at  the  head  of  the  koondah,  rather 
than  at  the  entrance,  so  accordingly  I  ascended 
the  hill  on  one  side,  and  sent  the  men  round  by 


272     THE  SUDDEN  APPEARANCE  OF  BEAK. 

the  other  side  of  the  entrance.  This  second  place 
was  something  similar  to  the  first,  but  more 
winding,  and  penetrating  further. 

I  had  ascended  the  hill,  and  making  my  way 
along  the  top  of  the  gorge  was  engaged  in  exam- 
ining a  lateral  jungle-filled  ravine  which  ran  into 
it,  and  which  I  thought  a  good  place  to  station 
myself,  when  my  attention  was  attracted  to  a 
clattering  of  stones  and  rocks  on  the  other  side 
of  the  koondah,  perhaps  four  hundred  yards 
across  at  this  point. 

A  few  of  the  beaters  had  lingered  behind  the 
main  body,  arid  were  occupied  in  hurling  rocks 
and  pelting  with  stones  something  down  the 
declivity,  and  in  the  next  moment  it  became 
evident  what  it  was.  A  couple  of  full-grown 
bears  made  their  appearance,  scrambling  up  the 
rugged  ascent,  growling  in  chorus,  and  making 
straight  for  the  few  men  who  had  disturbed  them. 
And  then  ensued  a  scene  which  would  have  been 
intensely  amusing  had  it  not  been  for  the  peril 
of  the  actors.  As  it  was,  I  became  convulsed  with 
laughter,  though  really  I  felt  full  of  anxiety  and 
dread. 

Undeterred  by  missiles,  the  bears,  as  became 


THE  BEARS  GIVE  CHASE.  273 

well-conditioned,  properly-constituted  bears,  angry 
at   being    disturbed    in    their   peaceful   midday 
slumbers,  soon  made  good  their  ascent,  and  gave 
chase  to  those  who  had  thus  intruded  on  their 
repose.     The  latter  made  tracks  in  various  direc- 
tions.    One  or  two  flung  themselves  with  all  the 
agility  of  monkeys  into  some  small  trees,  little 
more  than  bushes,  which,  here  and  there,  studded 
the  open  ground  between  the  top  of  the  koondah 
and  the  jungle.     Others  were  fortunate  enough 
to  be  on  the  right  side  of  the  bears  as  they  charged 
up,  and  darted  off  at  full  speed  to  join  the  main 
body  of  the  beaters  at  some  little  distance.    These 
howled  and  brandished  their  sticks,  or  whatever 
weapons  they  possessed,  to  scare  the  brutes  from 
their  savage  onslaught  on  their  friends.     I  saw 
one  man  dart  into  the  jungle  and  disappear;  but 
another,  less  lucky,  cut  off  from  a  run  towards 
his  comrades,  was  tearing  along  the  top  of  the 
koondah  as  hard  as  his  legs  could  carry  him  in 
the   opposite  direction.     This  proved   to  be   the 
tom-tom  man,  and  one  bear,  with  a  judicious  dis- 
crimination worthy  of  a  better  deed,  selected  him 
as    the  object  of  his   attack  and   gave  vigorous 
chase.     The  poor  fellow  flew  along  with  amazing 

T 


274  TEIE  TOM-TOM  COMES  TO  GRIKF. 

speed,  but  the  bear  had  got  away  on  good  terms 
and,  though  seeming  only  to  lumber  along,  was 
in  reality  overhauling  the  poor  fellow  fast.  Moved 
by  the  imminence  of  the  danger,  the  man  threw 
his  cherished  tom-tom  behind  him  and  it  fell  full 
in  front  of  the  rapidly-closing  bear.     Attracted 
by    the    singular    hollow-sounding    thing    thus 
conveniently   placed    at    his    disposal,   the   bear 
stopped,  seized  it,  and  soon  wreaked  his  vengeance 
on  it,  by  reducing  it  to  a  state  which  effectually 
prevented  its  further  use  at  marriages,  nautches, 
feasts,  or  other  occasions  where  its  dulcet  sounds 
were  wont  to  enliven  the  village  society. 

The  man,  taking  advantage  of  this  respite, 
made  good  use  of  his  opportunity,  and  disap- 
peared into  the  jungle  or  the  koondah,  while  the 
bear,  satisfied  with  what  he  had  done,  lumbered 
away  and  was  soon  out  of  sight. 

In  the  meantime,  the  other  bear  had  devoted  his 
attention  to  a  little  fellow,  who,  in  the  emergency 
of  the  moment,  had  sprung  into  a  small  tree,  and 
stood  on  some  slight  boughs  some  five  or  six  feet 
from  the  ground.  Higher  he  could  not  climb,  as 
the  boughs  would  not  bear  him.  The  bear  rushed 
up  to  the  slight  stem  of  the  tree  and  rose  on  his  hind 


AN  IMPROMPTU  DANCE.  275 

legs.  With  one  fore-paw  he  made  a  dab  at  one  of  the 
man's  legs,  which  was  quickly  lifted  out  of  the  way. 
Then  the  bear  made  a  dab  with  the  other  paw  at  the 
other  leg,  which  in  like  manner  was  raised  as  the 
other  was  put  down ;  and  so  it  went  on,  giving  to 
the  wretched  fellow  undergoing  this  process  of 
alternate  dabs  the  appearance  of  dancing  on  the 
boughs  he  occupied,  and  the  bear  seemed  to  be 
similarly  engaged  in  like  antics.  It  was  occa- 
sionally varied  by  the  man  making  kicks  at  the 
bear's  nose,  or  the  bear's  trying  to  seize  the  tree. 

I  did  not  know  what  to  do.  The  distance  was 
far  beyond  range  of  my  rifle,  but  I  was  about 
to  fire  it,  on  the  chance  of  distracting  the  beast's 
attention,  when  the  continued  howling  of  the 
main  body  of  beaters  had  at  last  the  desired 
effect.  The  bear  desisted  from  his  attack,  and, 
retreating  down  the  declivity  whence  he  had  first 
come  up,  disappeared  into  the  jungle  below, 
while,  i  unwounded  from  the  dreadful  close,'  like 
the  brave  FitzJames,  the  little  beater  once  more 
arose,  or,  in  other  words,  was  able  to  take  it  easy. 
I  could  hear  the  bear  crashing  along  without 
being  able  to  see  him  in  the  jungle  below,  but, 
after  a  while,  made  out  that  he  was  coming  up 

T  2 


276  THE  BEAK  VISITS  ME. 

on  rny  side  and  in  my  direction,  and,  apparently, 
by  the  branch  ravine  which  I  had  been  inspecting 
with  a  view  to  select  a  good  site  for  taking  up 
my  position. 

It  was  very  thick,  but  I  got  a  good  open  view 
of  him  as  he  toiled  along  at  not  more  than  thirty 
yards,  and  fired.  He  staggered,  evidently  hard 
hit,  and  I  thought  was  going  to  collapse,  but 
recovered  himself,  and  held  on.  Unfortunately, 
I  had  only  a  single  rifle  in  my  hand,  having 
seized  it  probably  when  the  bears  first  showed  on 
the  other  side,  and,  before  I  could  get  hold  of  my 
other  gun,  the  beast  was  some  distance  away.  How- 
ever, I  got  on  him,  and  fired  another  shot,  while 
the  jemadar  of  police  also  made  an  ineffectual 
shot  with  his  matchlock  from  some  place  behind. 
1  loaded  as  quickly  as  I  could,  and  was  hurrying 
on  the  wounded  bear's  tracks,  when  a  howl  of 
1  nuhur '  (a  word  which  here  did  duty  for  the 
more  common  bagh,  tiger)  from  the  men  on  the 
other  side  brought  me  running  back  to  the  top 
of  the  koondah.  There  was  much  hurrying, 
and  scurrying  arid  shouting  on  the  other  side, 
but  for  some  time  I  was  unable  to  detect  the 
cause  of  all  this  excitement.  At  last  my  eye 


A  LUCKY  OLD  COW.  277 

fell  on  a  striped  beauty  crawling  over  some  rocks 
in  the  broken  ground  at  the  upper  end  of  the 
gorge;  but,  alas!  far  out  of  range.  No  doubt 
the  row  with  the  bears  had  disturbed  him,  and 
now  he  was  making  his  way  in  the  opposite 
direction,  and  soon  effected  his  exit  by  some  path 
at  the  top  of  the  koondah,  and  got  clear  away. 

Nothing  else  was  to  be  found  in  that  koondah, 
except  an  old  cow,  which  had  wandered  from 
the  nearest  herd,  and  was,  when  I  discovered  it, 
making  its  way  through  the  jungle  calmly  and 
sedately,  as  if  no  such  enemies  as  tigers  existed. 
At  the  first  glimpse  1  took  it  for  the  tiger  itself, 
and,  had  the  tiger  not  been  driven  out,  I  do 
not  think  that  old  cow  would  long  have  lived 
to  pry  into  places  not  intended  for  old  cows  ; 
for  it  was  steadily  working  its  way  into  the  very 
jaws  of  danger,  and  probably  the  tiger. 

Both  of  the  bears,  the  un wounded  as  well  as 
the  wounded,  seemed  to  have  made  their  way 
to  the  koondah  we  first  beat  by  different  routes. 
I  accordingly  returned  there,  and  sought  for 
them,  but  without  success ;  and,  as  evening  drew 
on,  desisted,  and  rode  back  to  my  little  camp. 

The   result  was   rather  mortifying  to  me   in- 


278  MARCH  TO  KOTAH. 

dividually.  We  had  certainly  slain  a  tiger,  but 
another  tiger  and  two  bears  had  got  away. 
Verily  the  jogies  had  the  best  of  it.  I  had 
been  c  at  charges '  to  supply  them  with  sport, 
which,  I  need  hardly  say,  was  not  exactly  my 
intention. 

I  would  gladly  have  remained  here  for  a  few 
days,  and  hunted  this  sportsman's  paradise,  but 
did  not  feel  justified  in  delaying  my  march  to 
Kotah.  I  beat  the  second  of  the  koondahs  next 
morning,  as  my  route  lay  in  that  direction,  and 
then  continued  my  march ;  but  nothing  was  at 
home.  Those  jungles  held  a  lot  of  game.  My 
servants  with  the  main  body  of  my  little  escort 
declared  that  they  saw  three  tigers  on  the  road 
in  the  early  morning.  Of  course  this  may  have 
been ;  but  a  hyaena,  or  anything  else,  might 
have  appeared  to  them  as  a  tiger.  All  I  saw 
on  that  march  was  a  blue  bull. 

It  was  near  Kotah,  while  on  this  expedition, 
that  I  slew  the  boar,  piercing  him  from  stem  to 
stern,  as  narrated  in  a  subsequent  chapter ;  and, 
while  at  that  place,  I  got  a  little  more  hunting, 
and  also  killed  some  small  game,  such  as  ante- 
lopes, &c.  As  it  turned  out,  I  might  just  as 


MARCH  BACK  AGAIN.  279 

well  have  taken  my  time,  and  hunted  more,  for 
the  flying  column  I  was  in  search  of  had  flown 
off  to  other  regions  ;  and,  so  far  as  it  was  con- 
cerned, my  march  was  labour  lost. 

Receiving  instructions  to  rejoin  head-quarters  at 
Mount  Aboo,  I  returned  to  Neemuch  by  the  same 
route,  and,  though  far  from  well,  did  a  little  more 
business  with  tigers  and  bears  at  a  place  about 
twenty  miles  from  Kotah.  I  did  not,  however, 
again  try  the  Singrowlee  koondahs,  as  I  was  get- 
ting somewhat  seriously  unwell,  and  required 
medical  advice.  From  Neemuch  I  marched  to 
Oodeypere,  and  thence  by  the  little-known  jungle 
path  to  Mount  Aboo,  which  I  reached  early  in 
May,  having  been  a  wanderer  on  the  face  of  the 
earth,  alone  and  with  forces,  since  December,  and 
indeed,  with  short  intervals  of  rest,  since  January 
of  the  previous  year. 

In  the  year  following,  the  great  Agra  durbar — 
when  the  Rajpootana  chiefs,  Scindia,  and  others 
were  summoned  to  meet  Lord  Canning — took  place, 
and  this  and  other  work  prevented  the  formation 
of  a  regular  hunting-party.  My  wanderings  in  Raj- 
pootana, which  in  the  course  of  less  than  three 
years  I  calculated  to  have  covered  considerably 


280  RAJPOOTANA  AS  A  SPORTING  COUNTRY. 

over  two  thousand  miles,  were  terminated  by  the 
accident  to  which  I  have  referred  in  the  first 
chapter  of  this  book.  But  during  those  wander- 
ings I  saw  so  much  of  the  country,  arid  some  of 
it  so  little  known,  that  I  came  to  the  conclusion 
that  with  proper  arrangements  and  all  the  ad- 
vantages of  having  good  shikarees,  together  with 
the  organization  and  leisure  connected  with  a  regu- 
lar hunting-camp,  a  very  heavy  bag  of  big  game 
might  be  obtained.  To  have  met  with  so  much 
when  travelling,  and  having  only  an  occasional 
beat  on  chance,  without  any  previous  bundobust, 
was  something  quite  exceptional.  Any  projects  I 
had  entertained  in  this  direction  were,  however, 
delayed,  as  I  have  intimated,  by  more  important 
affairs,  and  also  by  weakened  health,  the  result, 
I  imagine,  of  continued  exposure.  I  did,  how- 
ever, manage  to  kill  a  few  more  tigers,  besides 
large  quantities  of  smaller  game,  before  I  bade 
adieu  to  India ;  but  I  have  said  enough  on  this 
subject  for  the  present,  and  once  more  revert  to 
a  sport  I  loved  still  better — hog-hunting. 


281 


CHAPTER  VI. 


HOG-HUNTING. 


PIG  NOT  SHOT  IN  INDIA  UNLESS  IN  INACCESSIBLE  JUNGLES — VIGOROUS 
ONSLAUGHT  OF  BOAR — MY  SMALL  ESCORT — CAPTAIN  FORSYTES 
'CENTRAL  HIGHLAND  OF  INDIA' — REAL  WOOD-CRAFT— A  FINE 
SPECIMEN  OF  TRACKING— A  WORTHY  FoEMAN— A  SORROWFUL  GROUP 
—A  VERY  LARGE  BOAR  AT  LAST. 


I  NOW  revert  to  a  previous  period  of  my  life  in 
India.  I  have  described  hog-hunting  as  it  was 
pursued  in  the  Deccan,  where  it  was  necessary  to 
drive  the  game  from  large  jungles.  I  now  pro- 
pose to  depict  another  phase  of  the  same  sport, 
but  one  only  obtainable  in  certain  districts  where 
the  nature  of  the  soil,  the  topography  of  the 
country,  and  the  instincts  of  its  inhabitants  ren- 
dered it  feasible — I  mean,  the  finding  of  the  game 
by  pugging  or  tracking. 

Pig,  it  must  be  remembered,  are  sacred  from 
the  rifle  of  the  sportsman  in  anything  like  ride- 
able  ground.  In  the  wide  jungles  and  big  hills 


282  PIG  SACRED  FROM  THE  RIFLE. 

of  India,  of  course,  there  can  be  no  objection  to 
shooting  them,  any  more  than  there  is  to  the 
destruction  of  the  fox  in  the  Scottish  Highlands. 
But  in  the  vicinity  of  ground  where  they  can  be 
speared  from  horseback,  their  slaughter  by  other 
means  is  as  unpardonable  as  that  of  the  fox  in 
the  hunting-countries  of  England. 

Leech's  inimitable  pencil  and  rich  humour  has 
graphically  portrayed  the  moral  stigma  attaching 
to  a  man  who  would  thus  set  hunters  at  defiance, 
and  commit  such  infraction  of  their  unwritten 
law. 

'There,'  said  a  fox-hunter  to  his  companion, 
and  pointing  to  an  individual  displaying  in  his 
person  the  aspect  of  a  dissenting  minister,  4  do 
you  see  that  fellow  ?  To  my  certain  knowledge 
he  has  shot  two  foxes,  and  yet  he  goes  about  with 
a  hymn-book  under  his  arm.' 

I  cannot  recall,  as  the  result  of  my  own  obser- 
vation, any  instance  of  pig  being  shot  by  gentle- 
men in  India  on  ground  visited  by  the  various 
hunts  ;  but  I  am  afraid  the  long  matchlock  of  the 
native  is  occasionally  responsible  for  such  de- 
struction. And  indeed  it  must  be  trying  to 
see  one's  fields  devastated,  more  so  even  than 


I  ONCE  FIRED  AT  A  BOAB.  283 

to  the  English  farmer's  wife — when  beyond  the 
range  of  hunt  compensation — who  awakes  some 
morning  and  finds  sad  havoc  in  her  poultry- 
house. 

Of  course  I  have  often  known  of  pig  being  shot 
in  inaccessible  jungles,  though,  personally,  I  never 
could  overcome  my  natural  disinclination  to  sub- 
ject to  the  use  of  powder  and  ball  an  animal 
whose  merits  as  a  hunting  creature  it  is  impos- 
sible to  overestimate.  I  held  it  in  too  profound 
respect. 

I  did,  indeed,  once  draw  bead  on  a  boar,  but  it 
was  only  to  put  it  out  of  pain.  It  was  in  some 
scrub  jungle  near  Kotah  in  Rajpootana,  where 
my  duty  as  a  political  officer  had  taken  me,  sub- 
sequent to  the  Mutiny,  with  the  object  of  joining 
a  force  which  was  then  hunting  Tantia  Topee,  and 
which  I  expected  to  meet  in  that  place.  I  came 
across  a  sounder  of  pig  when  riding  along  one 
morning,  and,  having  my  spear  with  me,  got  hold 
of  it,  and  dashed  off  in  pursuit.  I  soon  separated 
a  good,  well-fed  boar  from  his  relatives  and  laid 
into  him.  I  was  riding  a  young  horse  I  called 
1  Lottery '  (thus  named  because  I  had  won  him  in 
a  raffle),  a  capital  horse  in  jungle,  for  he  had  a 


284  MY  HORSE  LOTTERY. 

practice  of  clearing  bushes  in  a  succession  of  most 
active  bounds.  He  had  a  good  dash  of  speed  arid 
great  courage,  and  though  very  thin-skinned,  and 
sometimes  would  stream  with  blood  after  gallop- 
ing through  thorny  jungle,  yet  faced  such  in 
pursuit  of  pig  without  hesitation. 

I  soon  closed  with  and  turned  the  boar,  and 
then,  instead  of  directly  following  in  his  wake, 
rode  to  cut  across  his  front  as  he  resumed  his 
original  line — a  dodge  I  often  resorted  to  with 
the  object  of  inducing  them  to  charge,  especially 
when  scattered  bushes  prevailed.  Heavy  jungle 
was  close  at  hand,  and  it  was  necessary  he  should 
be  speared  quickly  and  severely. 

Nothing  loth,  he  made  a  little  half-turn  and 
came  at  me  as  I  galloped  towards  his  head  at 
about  a  right-angle,  keeping  my  horse  well  in 
hand.  As  he  raised  his  head  I  speared  him  in 
the  chest  and  pressed  well  home  as  I  put  in  the 
spur  and  shot  past.  So  vigorous  was  his  onslaught, 
and  so  fairly  met  with  the  spear,  that  I  was 
unable  to  withdraw  it. 

I  wheeled  my  horse  arid  pulled  up.  The  boar 
was  trotting  along  with  the  spear-shaft  sticking 
out  in  front,  and  each  movement  of  the  poor 


SPEARED  FROM  STEM  TO  STERN.       285 

beast  caused  the  shaft  to  sway  about,  arid  the  butt 
to  strike  bush,  or  ground,  or  other  obstacle.  Thus 
each  few  paces  he  advanced  only  served  to  drive 
in  the  spear  still  deeper.  He  tried  to  grip  it  with 
his  teeth,  but  could  not.  Such  could  not  last 
long,  and  he  soon  lay  down  under  a  bush.  As  I 
approached,  game  to  the  last,  he  staggered  up  to 
meet  me,  but  only  to  fall  back  again.  So,  seeing 
that  he  was  quite  hors-de-combat,  I  pulled  out  my 
revolver  from  my  holster  (for  in  those  disturbed 
times  and  countries  we  travelled  armed)  and  fired 
at  him.  I  believe  I  missed ;  but  he  rolled  over 

immediately  afterwards  and  died. 

* 

The  spear  had  been  driven  right  through  his 
whole  length.  Entering,  as  I  have  said,  at  the 
chest,  it  had  emerged  near  the  tail.  This,  of 
course,  was  not  due  to  the  thrust  alone,  but  to 
the  movements  which  followed  and  aided  its 
effect. 

Not  a  little  astonished  were  my  attendants  when 
they  came  up,  and  saw  the  boar  pierced  from  stem 
to  stern.  They  gave  me  credit  for  a  superhuman 
strength  of  arm ;  at  least,  so  I  inferred,  for  when 
the  vakeel  of  the  Rajah  subsequently  called  upon 
me  in  my  tent,  he  complimented  me  on  the  vigour 


286          TRACKING  OR  PUGGING. 

of  a   thrust   which    had    so    disposed  of  a  large 
boar. 

My  small  escort  of  jolly  Sikh  troopers,  un- 
troubled by  any  qualms  of  conscience  on  the  sub- 
ject of  pork,  held  high  festival  that  day,  for  the 
boar  was  fat  and  in  fine  condition. 

But  it  is  to  the  art  of  pugging  or  tracking  that 
I  here  wish  to  draw  attention.  It  is  an  accom- 
plishment in  venerie  which  from  time  immemorial 
and  in  most  countries  has,  as  all  know,  been 
practised  more  or  less.  Fenimore  Cooper's 
charming  novels  made  us  distinctly  realise  what 
could  be  done  in  that  line  by  the  North-American 
Indians.  It  is  practised  to  this  day  in  our  own 
Scottish  Highlands,  and  I  have  given  an  example 
of  such  as  narrated  by  John  in  the  first  part  of 
this  book.  The  harbourer  on  Exmoor  employs 
it  in  marking  down  his  c  warrantable  '  stag,  where 
that  grand  wild  sport  has  its  last  and  only  home. 
And,  indeed,  in  all  countries,  civilised  or  un- 
civilised, it  prevails  in  some  form.  But  I  ques- 
tion if  it,  considered  as  a  scientific  attainment 
brought  to  the  use  of  the  hunter  and  so  utilised 
by  many  of  the  tribes  of  India,  could  be  excelled 
in  any  other  country. 


CUTOH  TRACKERS.  287 

The  late  Captain  Forsyth,  in  his  very  charming 
book  on  the  Central  Highlands  of  India,  has  nar- 
rated how,  for  two  days,  his  men  tracked  a  cun- 
ning man-eating  tiger,  and  at  last  harboured 
him,  and  he  shot  him  from  his  elephant.  I  have 
no  personal  knowledge  of  the  Goonds,  but  have 
often  seen  their  near  neighbours,  the  Bheels,  at 
work. 

But,  on  the  whole,  I  do  not  think  I  ever  saw 
finer  exhibitions  of  this  department  of  woodcraft 
than  I  did  when  I  was  quartered  in  Cutch.  It  was 
a  speciality  of  the  country,  and  here  it  was  I  im- 
bibed my  taste  for  this  form  of  the  sport  of  hog- 
huntirig.  It  suited,  too,  myself  and  comrades,  as 
being  inexpensive.  Pig  could  be  followed  and 
harboured  by  three  or  four  good  trackers,  where- 
as it  would  take  a  long  line  of  beaters  to  drive 
a  wide  piece  of  country  which  pig  were  known  to 
frequent.  Moreover,  the  track  of  a  boar  is  dis- 
tinct from  that  of  a  sow,  however  large.  The 
latter  is  longer  and  narrower  by  comparison,  and 
the  difference  is  easily  recognisable  by  any  good 
puggee.  In  like  manner  as  to  breadth,  the  track 
of  a  male  and  female  tiger  vary,  I  believe.  Thus 


288          INDICATIONS  TO  THE  SKILFUL  TRACKER. 

a  sow's  track  could  be  left  alone,  and  the  boar's 
only  taken. 

At  the  same  time  an  accomplished  puggee, 
corning  on  the  track,  where  it  crossed  and  re- 
crossed  during  the  night's  wanderings,  would 
readily  distinguish  between  that  some  hours  old 
and  the  later  one  of  the  early  morning  I  have 
often  seen  a  villager,  with  some  skill  in  ordinary 
tracking,  point  to  a  pug  which  the  more  experi- 
enced shikaree,  without  a  second  look,  would 
reject  contemptuously.  On  soft  or  sandy  ground 
it  is  a  simple  matter  enough ;  it  is  when  one  comes 
to  hard,  rocky,  and  stony  soil,  in  the  hills  especi- 
ally, that  all  the  best  qualities  of  the  tracker  are 
evoked.  A  turned  stone,  a  tiny  bit  of  cut  grass, 
a  slight  impression,  showing  only  where  the  toe- 
point  marked  the  soil,  all  serve  as  indications  to 
the  keen-sighted,  skilful  tracker  and  serve  to  guide 
him  in  his  progress. 

Then,  when  a  check  occurs,  to  see  each  man 
cast  round  till  the  track  is  recovered  by  one,  and 
a  click  of  the  tongue  against  the  cheek  announces 
the  fact  to  the  rest  of  the  silent  group. 

It  was  real  woodcraft,  and  I  always  felt  more 
gratified  over  one  pig  thus  found  and  killed,  than 


SINGLE-HANDED  FIGHTS.  289 

over  many  slain  by  being  beaten  out  of  a  jungle, 
and  usually,  too,  they  were  good  ones,  for  they 
were  selected. 

Moreover,  a  man  thus  engaged  was  enabled  to 
hunt  alone,  and  circumstances  often  oblige  the 
Indian  sportsman  to  take  his  sport  in  solitary 
fashion,  an  instance  of  which  I  have  just  recorded. 
The  very  cream  of  the  thing,  the  race  and  tussle 
for  first  spear,  is  of  course  absent ;  but  yet  a 
single-handed  fight  with  a  fierce  old  boar  is  not  to 
be  despised,  and  is  sometimes  a  sufficiently  excit- 
ing sequel  to  a  good  gallop,  even  though  a 
solitary  one.  More  of  the  best  qualities  and  skill 
of  a  hunter  are  called  into  play  when  pursuing 
a  boar  alone  in  difficult  country,  than  when  there 
are  numbers  to  press  and  keep  sight  of  the  game 
and  help  one  another.  Still  the  greatest  charm 
is  wanting,  for  the  trophy  of  the  tushes  is  of  small 
value  compared  with  it  when  won  by  first  spear 
after  a  contest  with  others. 

A  solitary  hunt  occurs  to  me  in  the  progress  of 
which  there  was  exhibited  so  fine  a  specimen  of 
tracking,  that  I  am  tempted  to  relate  it.  It  is 
recorded  in  my  sporting  journals. 

My  shikarees  had  been  out  for  a  couple  of  days 


290  RECEIVE  GOOD  c  KIIUBBER.' 

from  the  station  of  Bhooj  in  Cutch,  on  a  general 
instruction  to  roam  the  country  and  find  out  the 
present  abiding-place  of  any  good  boar  within 
reach  of  a  day's  outing.  This  meant  a  distance  of 
some  twelve  or  fifteen  miles,  so  that  the  hunters 
might  ride  out  in  the  morning,  hunt,  and  return 
the  same  evening — not,  in  fact,  requiring  leave 
of  absence.  He  had  special  orders  only  to  look 
after  warrantable  boars,  and  in  particular  one 
noted  hog  of  whom  I  had  heard.  It  was  arranged 
that  two  or  three  of  my  brother-officers  should 
accompany  me,  should  pucka  khubber  (reliable 
information)  be  sent  in. 

This  arrived  one  evening,  and  was  duly  com- 
municated to  my  friends ;  but  for  some  reason  or 
other  they  were  unable  to  go  and  I  was  obliged  to 
proceed  alone,  for  cunning  old  boars  are  not  beasts 
to  have  salt  put  on  their  tails  and  be  detained 
during  a  hunter's  pleasure. 

I  had  been  summoned  to  a  village  which  lay 
between  the  Runn  of  Cutch — an  open  desert — 
and  the  hills  bordering  it,  and  to  it  had  despatched 
1  Kutty  '  overnight.  Arrived  there  after  a  morn- 
ing's gallop  of  some  thirteen  miles,  I  found  that 


DUNNA'S  DISAPPOINTMENT.  291 

'  Dunna,'  my  shikaree,  with  three  or  four  local 
puggees,  was  on  the  track  of  an  enormous  boar, 
and  had  summoned  the  sahibs  to  join  him. 

I  soon  had  mounted  Kutty,  and,  under  guidance 
of  the  villager  who  had  brought  this  information, 
ere  long  came  in  sight  of  the  little  group  of  men 
who  were  cautiously  and  skilfully  working  out 
the  trail. 

Dunna  seemed  much  disappointed  at  finding 
that  I  was  not  accompanied  by  a  few  other  horse- 
men, for,  as  he  pointed  out,  it  was  a  rather  diffi- 
cult matter  for  a  single  hunter  to  keep  sight  of  a 
pig  among  the  thick  and  numerous  patches  of 
jungle  and  nullahs  which  were  thickly  scattered 
over  the  rising  ground  at  the  foot  of  the  steep 
hills. 

Otherwise  fairly  easy  riding-ground,  there  was 
always  the  chance  of  losing  sight  of  them  in 
these,  while  towards  the  Runn  were  swamps  with 
much  jow  cover,  and  a  very  heavy  jungle  known 
to  us  as  the  Dooree  jungle,  a  favourite  resort  of 
pig.  The  great  object  was  to  press  the  hunted 
pig,  and  bring  them  to  action  within  this  area, 
lying  between  the  hills  and  the  jungly  fringe  of 

u2 


292  A  VIEUX  SOLITAIRE. 

the  Runn.  I  have  killed  a  good  many  pig  all 
along  that  line  of  country  within  a  length  of 
fifteen  or  twenty  miles,  and  lost  not  a  few. 

Dunna,  therefore,  had  some  reason  for  anxiety 
and  regret,  augmented  by  the  fact  that  there 
were  two  or  three  boars  of  unusual  size  which 
had  at  present  selected  this  neighbourhood  for 
their  temporary  home.  He  told  me  that  he  was 
on  the  track  of  one  splendid  fellow,  which  was 
with  a  sounder,  when  he  came  across  the  solitary 
track  of  the  boar  he  was  now  pugging,  and  pre- 
ferring the  views  solitaire — as  such  a  boar  in 
France  is  called — he  had  taken  up  the  latter. 

It  was  a  pug  indeed !  The  owner  of  such  a 
footprint  as  was  revealed  must  be  a  whacker.  I 
selected  a  short  and  very  strong  bamboo,  leaded 
at  the  end,  and  which  I  considered  specially 
adapted  for  single-handed  encounters,  though  too 
heavy  and  short  for  a  contested  tussle  for  first 
spear.  I  should  observe,  that  though  weighted, 
according  to  the  fashion  in  Lower  Bengal,  I  did 
not  use  it  as  is  done  there,  with  hand  above,  job- 
bing fashion,  but  according  to  western  custom,  as 
a  lance,  loosely  used,  carried  underhand,  though 
not  in  rest. 


THE  BOAR  BREAKS.  293 

Silently  but  surely  we  drew  nearer  and  nearer 
to  the  spot  selected  by  the  old  boar  for  his  noon- 
tide rest,  though  many  turns  had  to  be  made  as 
we  followed  the  track  with  unerring  precision. 
The  ground  was  somewhat  sandy  and  the  puggees 
ran  breast-high  on  the  track,  just  making  little 
marks  with  their  sticks  behind  a  pug  where  it 
was  somewhat  more  difficult  to  discern. 

We  now  came  among  some  very  thick  patches, 
and  Dunna,  and  Rughonauth  his  brother,  felt,  as 
somehow  a  good  shikaree  seems  instinctively  to 
do,  that  our  friend  was  close  at  hand.  The 
former  pointed  to  a  patch  ahead,  and  told  me  to 
be  ready.  A  stone  or  two  was  thrown  in  without 
effect,  for  the  repose  of  an  old  boar  is  not  lightly 
to  be  intruded  on,  and  shouting  was,  of  course, 
interdicted,  as  it  might  disturb  this  or  any  other 
pig  lying  farther  afield.  A  volley  of  stones  at 
close  quarters  and  a  considerable  whacking  of 
the  bushes  at  last  had  the  desired  effect,  and  forth 
from  the  thick  patch  on  the  farther  side  broke  a 
huge  boar — a  very  grey  old  fellow  with  a  gener- 
ally grizzled  and  rugged  appearance. 

Slow  as  l  Kutty  '  was,  it  did  not  take  me  long 
to  get  on  terms  with  the  ancient ;  but  age  and 


294  DELUDED. 

experience  had  rendered  the  old  fellow  as  shifty 
and  cunning  as  a  fox.  He  made  from  patch  to 
patch,  and  he  had  lived  long  enough  to  know  the 
situation  of  every  bit  of  jungle  and  every  nullah 
which  could  screen  his  unwieldy  old  carcase  from 
observation,  and  to  these  he  clung.  I  hustled 
him  about,  and  on  one  occasion  after  a  turn  rode 
for  his  head,  expecting  him  to  charge.  But  he 
showed  no  courage  ;  he  refused  the  challenge,  and 
instead,  dodged  behind  my  horse,  and  into  a  long 
thick  strip  of  jungle,  impenetrable  by  a  horse.  I 
galloped  round  to  the  further  end,  and  awaited 
his  exit.  But  he  came  not.  I  shouted  to  the 
men  who  were  running  in  iny  rear,  and  when 
they  arrived  on  the  scene  they  poured  in  volleys 
of  stones  and  whacked  the  bushes  ineffectually. 

Dunna  now  went  round  the  thicket,  and  on  one 
side  found  the  pug,  where  the  cunning  old  fellow 
had  cautiously  slipped  down  a  bank  into  a  nullah, 
of  the  existence  of  which  I  was  unaware,  and 
had  quietly  made  his  way  up  it,  while  I  was 
standing  sentry  at  the  farther  end.  Immediately 
this  was  discovered,  I  galloped  on  ahead  into  the 
hills,  but  I  saw  nothing  more  of  him. 

I  have   described   in  feeble  terms  the  natural 


TAKE  UP  ANOTHER  TRAIL.          295 

feeling  of  a  fisherman  when  he  first  feels  that 
his  salmon  has  got  away.  My  feelings  on  this 
occasion  were  much  the  same.  Had  but  one 
other  horseman  been  with  me,  so  that  both  sides 
could  have  been  watched,  the  biggest  boar,  with 
perhaps  one  or  two  exceptions,  I  ever  saw,  would 
not  have  eluded  us. 

A  sorrowful  group  we  were  as  we  proceeded 
towards  the  point  where  the  other  boars'  pug 
had  been  deserted,  with  the  object  of  trying  to 
get  a  run  out  of  him.  It  was  but  little  inferior 
to  the  first,  and  was  probably  the  master  boar,  as 
he  accompanied  the  sounder,  or  herd. 

We  soon  found  that  he  had  retired  to  the  very 
edge  of  the  swampy  ground — a  place  where  Mac 
and  I  had  killed  between  forty  and  fifty  couple 
snipe,  besides  other  game,  one  day  earlier  in  the 
season — and  in  due  course  intruded  on  the  slum- 
bers of  himself  and  family. 

Away  they  all  went,  skirting  the  swamp,  and 
I  in  close  pursuit.  After  awhile  I  separated  the 
boar,  and  lay  into  him  among  some  jow  jungle. 
I  got  nearly  bogged  once,  and  was  almost  down 
before  I  closed  with  him,  and  was  preparing  for 
a  good  thrust,  when  crash  !  horse  and  self  went 


296  LUCK  AGAINST  US. 

into  a  thick  patch  of  jow.  I  wanted  to  take  one 
side,  but  Kutty  had  set  his  heart  on  the  other, 
and  the  consequence  was  we  floundered  into  the 
middle.  He  was  on  his  knees,  and  very  nearly 
gave  me  a  purl,  but  we  both  managed  to  recover, 
and,  shaking  ourselves  together,  emerged  from 
the  bush.  I  had  only  lost  sight  of  the  pig  for 
a  few  seconds,  but  he  was  now  nowhere  to  be 
seen.  I  galloped  on,  but  no,  no  trace  of  him. 
Eventually  I  returned  to  the  place  where  I  had 
lost  sight  of  him,  and  the  men,  on  coming  up, 
found  that  he  had  stopped  dead,  then  turned  on 
his  tracks,  and,  in  fact,  while  I  was  galloping 
ahead,  was  making  his  way  to  the  rear.  He  then 
quietly  slipped  into  the  marsh,  and  made  off 
undetected  either  by  myself  or  the  shikarees  who 
were  hurrying  up. 

Very  crestfallen  I  felt.  The  shikarees,  too, 
were  evidently  deeply  impressed  with  the  con- 
viction that  the  sahib's  nuseeb  (luck)  was  alto- 
gether adverse  this  day,  and  it  was  no  use  con- 
tending against  an  adverse  fate,  and  they  proba- 
bly attributed  some  measure  of  this  to  my  own 
unskilful  proceedings 


WE  RENEW  THE  TRACKING.  297 

It  was,  therefore,  with  some  dissatisfaction 
that  they  heard  my  expressed  determination  to 
follow  up  the  boar,  at  any  rate,  so  long  as  a 
chance  remained  of  finding  him  in  anything  like 
rideable  ground.  I  was  quite  savage  at  such  per- 
sistent ill-luck,  and  determined  to  persevere, 
though,  after  such  a  rattling  burst,  the  chances 
were  that  the  boar  would  not  stop  till  he  had  put 
miles  between  us. 

Seeing  there  was  no  help  for  it,  the  men  grudg- 
ingly again  set  to  work.  We  carried  the  pug 
right  through  the  swamp,  and  into  the  heavy 
jungle  on  the  other  side.  Not  even  here,  how- 
ever, did  he  linger.  The  track  was  picked  up  at 
the  point  where  he  had  emerged,  and  carried  on 
into  the  sparser  jungle  which  was  scattered  over 
the  ground  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  open 
Runn. 

We  knew  that,  not  infrequently,  these  old  boars 
lay  out  in  the  Runn  itself,  though  there  was  no 
shelter  in  that  particular  part  beyond  some  very 
low  scrub  hardly  sufficient  to  screen  a  far  smaller 
animal.  There  they  were  free  from  all  possibility 
of  disturbance  by  villagers  or  others,  as  there  was 


298  THE  RUNN  OF  CUTCH. 

no  object  or  motive  for  the  latter's  presence  on 
the  open  waste ;  but  still  we  hardly  expected  that 
a  hunted  boar  would  take  to  it. 

The  sun  was  fearfully  hot,  but  as  the  pig 
showed  signs  of  having  slowed,  and  by  its  erratic 
wanderings  evinced  some  uncertainty  and  also  a 
probable  desire  to  find  some  resting-place,  the  men 
warmed  to  their  work  in  every  sense  of  the  word. 

No  c  eager  and  nipping  air  '  came  off  that  deso- 
late, arid  waste.  Once  an  inlet  of  the  sea,  the 
Runn  of  Cutch  presents  all  the  aspects  of  such, 
with  the  substitution  of  sand  for  water.  The 
mainland  forms  promontories  and  headlands  and 
bays,  and  gives  all  the  indications  of  a  coast-line. 
Hot  blasts  of  air,  as  if  from  a  furnace,  came  off 
the  parched  desert,  for  it  was  the  middle  of 
March,  but  still  we  held  on,  for  we  were  now 
hoping  at  any  time  to  come  upon  him.  We  took 
a  short  rest,  and  I  ate  some  food,  but  we  were 
soon  at  it  again.  After  turning  and  twisting  in 
various  directions,  the  track  at  last,  in  the  after- 
noon, led  us  right  out  into  the  Runn.  The  boar 
seemed  to  have  decided  that  the  mainland  offered 
no  safe  retreat,  and  the  uncertainty  hitherto  visi- 
ble in  his  movements  became  a  fixed  resolve. 


••Nnillii 


I.1*! 


4  THERE  HE  IS,  SAHIB.'  299 

I  now  lay  with  my  head  under  a  little  bush  for 
a  short  time,  for  I  was  getting  rather  done  up, 
and  divided  the  last  of  my  water  with  the  men. 
We  then  carried  on  the  track  at  a  great  pace,  for 
it  went  straight  out.  Suddenly  there  seemed  to 
rise  out  of  the  very  ground  itself,  so  scanty  was 
the  scrub  which  concealed  it,  a  black,  colossal 
form,  and  away  it  lumbered  a  short  distance 
ahead.  With  a  shout  of  rapture,  Dunna,  point- 
ing with  his  finger,  exclaimed : 

4  There  he  is,  sahib,  at  last !' 

There  he  was,  sure  enough,  and  I  settled  myself 
in  my  seat  and  dashed  off  with  the  full  intention 
of  suiting  my  own  convenience  in  the  attack. 
Kutty  seemed  as  anxious  as  his  master  to  try 
conclusions,  and  we  soon  neared  the  flying  foe, 
who  did  not  seem  to  be  improved  in  pace  by  the 
exertions  of  the  day.  A  little  pressure  of  the  leg 
sent  Kutty  almost  within  reach,  but  the  boar 
slightly  swerved. 

We  followed  in  his  wake,  and,  as  I  closed,  I 
saw  him  give  his  head  a  turn  to  my  side  and  a 
backward  glance  of  his  little  angry  eye  showed 
me  that  he  was  waiting  his  opportunity  to  become 
the  aggressor.  I  gave  him  scant  time  for  con- 


300  A  DEADLY  THRUST. 

sideration.  Suddenly  driving  Kutty  up  at  full 
speed,  in  a  stride  or  two  I  was  alongside,  and 
delivered  my  thrust  with  all  my  strength  into  the 
centre  of  the  broad  back,  now  almost  under  my 
spear-hand.  He  tried,  with  a  savage  grunt,  to 
turn  on  me  as  he  felt  the  steel.  I  pressed  in  the 
harder,  then  passed,  easing  off  to  the  left,  leaving 
my  spear  sticking  up  in  his  back. 

I  soon  checked  my  horse  and  came  round.  I 
had  thought  of  galloping  back  to  obtain  a  fresh 
spear  from  the  shikarees  who  were  running  in  my 
wake,  but  a  very  brief  observation  showed  me 
that  such  would  be  unnecessary.  Tottering  on 
for  a  few  yards,  the  grand  old  boar  staggered, 
recovered  himself,  then  fell  over,  and  was  gathered 
to  his  fathers. 

Very  short  had  been  the  final  course,  and 
happily  as  short  the  last  encounter.  It  was  a 
triumph  of  perseverance  and  good  tracking,  end- 
ing, as  it  deserved,  in  success. 

Dunna  and  company  soon  joined  me  as  I  stood 
dismounted  by  the  fallen  foe,  a  very  large  boar, 
and  so  firmly  embedded  was  the  spear  that  it 
obliged  Dunna 

*  With  hand  and  foot  to  tug  and  strain, 
Ere  he  win  his  blade  again.' 


A  HAPPY  KETURN.  301 

Very  rejoiced   and    congratulatory   he   and   his 
brother  trackers  were  at  the  successful  issue  of 
our  exertions ;  and  well,  I  considered,  they  had 
earned  the   '  inam '  or   reward   which  I   always 
allowed  for  boars,  though  not  for  sows. 

Evening  was  drawing  on  as  I  galloped  off  to 
the  mainland,  hit  on  the  village  track,  and  shortly 
reached  the  village  where  my  pony  was  at  picket. 
Ordering  a  cart  and  water  to  be  sent  out  at  once 
to  the  men,  I  changed  my  horse  for  the  pony, 
and  made  the  best  of  the  thirteen  miles  which  lay 
between  me  and  dinner. 

Many  regrets  were  expressed  that  night  at 
mess  by  those  who  had  been  bidden  to  the  feast 
and  had  excused  themselves,  regrets  I  shared,  for 
had  there  been  several  horsemen,  we  might  have 
had  a  very  good  day,  and  killed  several  heavy 
boars,  as  many  were  about.  That  particular  part 
seemed  to  possess,  for  the  time,  some  special 
attraction. 

The  tushes  of  this  hog  measured  about  eight 
and  a  quarter  or  eight  and  a  half  inches,  and  were 
thick  and  sharp.  I  have  in  my  possession  longer 
ones,  but  none  which  adorned  a  heavier  boar, 
or  are  thicker. 


302  A  SHARP  AFTERNOON'S  WORK. 

This  long  story  of  a  solitary  hunt  may  seem 
'  much  ado  about  nothing.'  I  have  introduced  it 
as  being  a  good  illustration  of  this  particular 
form  of  sport,  though  the  principal  and  most 
attractive  feature  of  hog-hunting,  the  tussle  for 
first  spear,  is  wanting. 

As  I  turn  the  pages  of  my  journals  and  other 
records  of  hunts — sometimes  mere  scraps — I  find 
much  material.  In  the  month  following  the 
death  of  this  big  boar,  I  see  that  a  friend  and 
myself  together  speared  six  pig  one  afternoon 
near  Mandavie,  but  three  of  these  escaped  into  a 
big  jungle  for  the  time,  though  one,  at  any  rate, 
was  reported  as  afterwards  recovered. 

But  it  is- pig-sticking  in  yet  another  form  that 
I  wish  to  describe,  and  for  that  I  shall  reserve 
another  chapter. 


303 


CHAPTER  VII. 

HOG-HUNTING  IN  UPPER  SCINDE. 

THE  EARLY  BIRD — THE  VILLAGE  OF  ALIWAN — DISAGREEABLE  PLACES  TO 
RIDE  OVER — EARLY  START — BEFORE  DAYLIGHT — A  RATTLING  RUN — 
ADVENTURES — UPPER  SCINDE  NOT  EQUAL  TO  OTHER  DISTRICTS — PIG 
GOOD  SWIMMERS — MY  LAST  PIG. 

FROM  Cutch  our  next  relief  took  us  to  Upper 
Scinde,  a  country  in  many  parts  overrun  with 
pig,  but  which,  owing  to  the  interminable  jungle 
that  covers  so  large  a  portion  of  its  surface,  only 
adapted  for  hunting  in  some  favoured  localities, 
and  some  of  these  were  improved  by  mechanical 
means. 

Here,  as  elsewhere,  it  is  often  only  the  early 
bird  that  gets  the  worm.  Pig  are  often  killed  in 
many  districts  by  the  hunters  intercepting  them, 
in  the  very  early  morning,  on  their  return  to 
their  jungle  fastnesses  after  feeding  in  the  fields 
at  nigh  tin  parts  where  there  is  much  cultivation. 
Sometimes,  at  certain  seasons,  pig  remain  among 


304  BOARS  FED  ON  SUGAR-CANE. 

the  fields,  especially  in  sugar-cane,  and  when  the 
tall  crops,  such  as  barjerie  (millet),  attain  such 
height  as  afford  good  cover.  More  accidents 
happen  to  villagers  from  boars  thus  locating 
themselves  than  at  any  other  place.  Driving 
them  from  such  strongholds  is  also  difficult,  and 
often  dangerous  for  the  beaters.  An  old  boar 
who  has  taken  up  his  residence  in  some  choice 
field  of  grain  or  sugar-cane,  and  fattened  himself 
at  the  village  expense,  becomes  most  resentful  if 
disturbed,  either  by  the  unfortunate  owners  of 
the  field,  or  by  any  other.  He  will  often  charge 
all  comers  with  indiscriminate  promptitude,  and  I 
have  seen  them  thus  killed  by  sportsmen  without 
their  ever  attempting  to  run,  or,  if  breaking,  only  to 
go  sulkily  towards  another  field.  In  Scinde,  such 
sulky  old  fellows  were  sometimes  killed  by  invad- 
ing their  retreat  with  dogs,  and  hunters  on  foot, 
armed  with  stout  spears,  and  a  terrible  example 
he  often  made  of  many  dogs  before  he  succumbed. 
But  this,  though  no  doubt  grand  sport,  is  not  the 
hunting  I  am  now  describing. 

A  description  of  the  first  day's  hunting  I  ever 
had  in  Upper  Scinde  will  give  a  fair  illustration 
of  the  sport  as  it  then  existed. 


OUR  MEET  AT  ALIWAN.  305 

Here  the  early  bird  and  worm  business  had  to 
be  undertaken.  I  confess  it  was  contrary  to  my 
personal  inclinations,  for  I  like  to  go  forth  to  my 
sport  when  thoroughly  awake ;  but  it  had  to  be 
done  or  left  alone,  and  the  latter  was  quite  out  of 
the  question. 

The  meet  fixed  on  by  our  leader,  T T , 

who  had  had  many  years'  experience  of  Scinde 
hunting,  was  the  village  of  Aliwan.  It  was  about 
twenty  miles  from  Shikarpore,  where  we  were 
then  stationed,  so  we  had  to  obtain  leave  to  sleep 
out  of  cantonments  and  proceed  there  the  after- 
noon before  operations.  It  was  a  favourite  meet, 
for  pig  were  nearly  always  to  be  found  and  killed 
there,  and  a  large  wattle-sort  of  barn  had  been 
constructed  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  village 
to  accommodate  sportsmen,  thus  obviating  the 
necessity  of  sending  out  tents. 

We  sat  down  to  dinner  that  night  a  very  merry 
party  of,  I  think,  six.  I,  for  one,  now  a  hunter 
of  some  experience,  was  curious  to  see  this 
new  form  of  my  favourite  sport;  while  others 
there  were  now  in  the  pig- sticking  field  for 
the  first  time— notably  a  young  gunner,  a 
fine  young  fellow,  a  first-rate  horseman,  and, 

x 


306  THE  MAHARAH. 

as  he  afterwards  became,  a  skilful  and  successful 
hunter. 

The  Arneers  of  Scinde,  adapting  means  to  an 
end,  had  utilised  their  jungles  for  what  they  con- 
sidered the  sport  of  shooting  pig,  by  building 
long  wattle-fences,  called  maharahs,  completely 
enclosing  some  tracts  of  jungle,  and  thus  render- 
ing the  pig  more  under  control  and  get-at-able 
when  driven  towards  them.  This  plan — or  per- 
haps one  of  their  old  fences  itself — had  been 
adopted  to  some  extent  by  English  sportsmen 
with  the  object  of  securing  open  space  in  the 
midst  of  the  wide  tracts  of  jungle,  across  which 
pig  might  be  pursued  on  horseback  and  killed. 
Such  a  one  existed  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of 
this  village,  and  the  arrangements  connected  with 
it,  it  will  be  as  well  to  describe.  It  was  main- 
tained in  order  at  the  expense  of  the  Hunt. 

It  commenced  close  to  our  barn  dwelling  and 
extended  for  a  length  of  about  half-a-mile  or 
more,  if  I  remember  right,  separating  so  much  of 
a  very  thick  jungle — which,  however,  extended 
far  beyond  its  limit — from  tolerably  open  ground 
and  cultivated  fields.  Within  this  jungle  pig 
abounded,  but  there  was  no  driving  so  extensive 


HOW  WE  MANAGED.  307 

a  tract.  At  night  pig  trooped  forth  through 
many  apertures  left  in  the  fence,  to  seek  their 
food  abroad.  Some  parts  were  completely  cut  up 
into  wide  hollows  by  their  roo tings,  and  were 
rather  disagreeable  places  to  ride  over,  especially 
with  a  heavy-shouldered  horse  like  Kutty.  In 
fact,  this  ground  was  not  best  suited  to  display 
his  good  qualities.  A  light,  fast,  flashy  animal 
was  nearly  as  good  as  a  stout  horse,  it  seemed  to 
me,  for  the  runs  were  not  generally  long  or  dis- 
tressing ones.  A  rugged,  difficult  country  served 
best  to  bring  out  Kutty 's  staying  power  and  other 
fine  points. 

On  the  other  side  of  the  village  were  other 
jungles,  but  more  detached,  and  not  extending  so 
far  as  that  within  the  maharah.  Between  the 
two  lay  the  somewhat  open  and  cultivated  ground 
I  have  referred  to.  There  was  a  deepish,  jungle- 
fringed  nullah — full  of  water  in  the  inundations, 
but  nearly  dry  at  other  times — about  half-way, 
but  beyond  this  and  some  watercourses  and  belts 
of  thick,  high  grass,  no  obstructions  existed. 

The  plan,  which  had  been  in  operation  for 
many  years,  was  to  close  the  apertures  in  the 
fence  while  the  pig  were  abroad,  line  it  with  men 

x2 


308  NO  OVERSLEEPING. 

very  early,  before  dawn,  and  set  them  to  keep  up 
a  continuous  howl.  Scared  by  the  wild  din,  the 
desired  effect  of  preventing  the  return  of  the  pig 
to  their  favourite  jungle  was  secured,  and  this 
obliged  them  to  seek  shelter  in  those  on  the  other 
side.  These  were  then  driven  from  the  further 
end,  and  the  pig  generally  broke  across  the  open 
ground  I  have  described  and  made  for  the  maha- 
rah.  It  was  somewhat  too  artificial  for  my  taste, 
but  still  gave  grand  sport.  It  had  to  be  com- 
menced early,  for  the  pig  were  generally  restless 
in  the  unaccustomed  jungle,  and  might  get  away 
anywhere. 

T T took  very  good  care  that  we  did 

not  oversleep  ourselves.  While  yet  dark,  we  were 
aroused,  and,  did  we  not  soon  respond  to  the 
tender,  gentle  solicitings  of  our  own  servant  to 
arise  and  dress,  a  howl  from  T T fol- 
lowed, possibly,  by  something  more  substantial,  in 
the  shape  of  a  boot,  was  hurled  at  the  offender, 
who  bolting  his  tea,  and  whatever  else  his  stomach 
could  compass  so  early,  prepared  for  action. 

Very   soon   after   dawn   we    were    guided   by 

T T to  a  thorny  screen,  which  had  been 

prepared  within  view  of  the  jungle  about  to  be 


GONE  AWAY.  309 

beaten  on  the  other  side  of  the  village.  Here  we 
were  fairly  concealed  from  any  pig  breaking,  but 
it  was  necessary  to  let  them  get  well  away,  or 
they  would  double  back. 

There  was  very  little  daylight  when  the  beaters 
began,  and  it  certainly  was  very  exciting  watch- 
ing for  the  pig  as  the  increasing  light  enabled  us 
to  command  the  extremity  of  the  jungle.  Though 
apparently  somewhat  similar,  it  really  was  quite 
a  different  sort  of  thing  to  my  first  experience  at 
the  watch  at  the  Arkola  grove.  There  the  pig, 
breaking  naturallj7  from  a  jungle,  could  be  fol- 
lowed for  miles.  Here  the  whole  affair  had  to  be 
decided  within  a  mile. 

We  had  not  been  waiting  long,  there  just  being 
sufficient  light  to  ride  by,  when  a  fine  boar,  with 
some  smaller  fry,  dashed  away  at  full  score  with 
their  heads  set  for  the  maharah. 

T T soon  gave  the  order  to  ride,  and 

the  beaters  were  stopped  as  we  dashed  off  in 
pursuit.  It  was  a  case  of  cracking-on  the  whole 
way.  Slow  old  Kutty  was  outpaced,  and  floun- 
dered a  bit  in  the  rooted-up  ground,  but  on 
emerging  from  the  big  nullah,  which  was  more  in 
his  line,  was  pretty  handy  as  the  hog  was  neared 


310  A  LONG  PAIR  OF  TUSHES. 

and  the  tussle  for  the  spear  commenced.  There 
was  a  good  deal  of  dodging  about  some  strips  of 
high  pampas  grass  of  the  consistency  almost  of 
canes,  and  it  was  anybody's  spear.  The  gunner, 
however,  got  a  fair  chance,  of  which  he  readily 
availed  himself,  and  made  good  his  first  dig  at  a 
wild  boar,  who  was  soon  accounted  for  between 
us.  He  was  a  fair-sized  boar,  not  by  any  means 
of  unusual  size,  but  his  tushes  proved  to  be  very 
long.  If  I  remember  right,  they  were  close  on 
ten  inches  in  length.  This  was  the  first  spear  he 
had  ever  taken,  and  it  was  of  course  a  great  piece 
of  good  luck — though  most  deserved  good  luck, 
— that  so  fine  a  pair  should  be  his  first  trophy. 

This  was  a  satisfactory  commencement.  The 
pig  being  killed,  we  quietly  rode  back  to  the  screen 
and  the  beat  re-commenced.  Again  some  pig 
broke,  and  the  same  order  followed.  This  time, 
however,  there  was  still  more  dodging  about,  and 

the  maharah  was  nearly  reached  when  T T 

successfully  speared  after  a  prolonged  tussle. 

Once  more  we  retraced  our  steps,  and  the  cry 
was  still  they  come.  A  nice  and  very  active  boar 
gave  us  a  fine,  rattling  run,  and  reached  the 
maharah  a  good  way  down,  unspeared,  but  closely 


MY  TURN  COMES.  311 

pursued.  A  broken  part  of  the  fence  or  open 
aperture  here  tempted  him,  and  he  dashed  over 
and  through  it  and  made  for  the  jungle  within. 
Fortunately  there  was  at  that  point  an  open 
space  j  ust  within  the  fence.  I  drove  old  Kutty 
at  the  obstruction,  and  almost  reached  the  pig  on 
the  very  confines  of  the  jungle.  I  only  just 
pricked  him,  and  in  another  moment  he  would 
have  been  safe  ;  but,  moved  by  some  inscrutable 
impulse,  perhaps  cheered  and  strengthened  by  the 
close  vicinity  of  his  home,  he  turned  at  the  edge, 
and,  seeing  me  close,  determined  on  a  charge  on 
those  who  had  so  worried  him,  before  he  finally 
disappeared.  Round  he  came,  and  I  speared  him 
severely.  The  others  were  close  up,  and  he  was 
soon  accounted  for — a  victim  of  pugnacity,  for, 
had  he  not  turned  at  bay,  I  could  hardly  have 
speared  him  severely  before  he  became  lost  to 
view  in  the  jungle.  This  was  the  last  we  killed. 
Three  good  boars,  however,  afforded  no  despicable 
morning's  sport. 

An  early  tiifin  consumed,  we  rode  back  in  the 
afternoon  to  Shikarpore,  about  twenty  miles 
distant. 

I    often   hunted   there    subsequently,   and,  on 


312  A  CLOSE  CONTEST. 

T T 's  departure,  took  over  the  conduct 

of  affairs. 

The  young  gunner  and  myself  had  once  so 
close  a  contest  for  first  spear  that  we  deemed  it  a 
tie,  and  divided  the  tushes,  for  our  spears  entered 
at  the  same  moment.  I  was  in  possession  of  the 
pig,  but  he  came  up  on  my  right,  and  lunging 
forward,  speared  over  his  bridle  hand,  as  I  deliv- 
ered my  thrust  in  front. 

On  one  occasion  a  vicious  sow  either  ran  up 
his  spear,  or  else  was  missed  by  him,  and  seized 
his  foot  in  her  teeth,  making  the  blood  spurt 
through  his  boot.  A  very  nasty  bite  it  proved 
to  be.  Another  man's  horse  was  nearly  pulled 
down  by  a  pig  chasing  it,  jumping  from  be- 
hind, and  seizing  it  by  the  tail ;  and  the  same 
rider,  a  very  sporting  medico,  had  a  horse  severely 
cut  in  a  fight  at  the  maharah. 

It  was  in  this  neighbourhood,  too,  that  an  old 
commander  arid  friend  of  mine  lost  a  valuable 
horse  from  the  rip  of  a  boar.  I  was  not  present, 
indeed  I  do  not  recollect  ever  seeing  a  horse 
killed  on  the  spot.  Kutty  has  frequently  been 
touched,  and  I  have  had  my  spur  torn  off,  and 
stirrup  often  struck,  but  I  always  managed  to 


RIPPED.  313 

elude  anything  like  a  fatal  stroke  of  the  gleaming 
tusks  of  an  infuriated  boar.  A  fighting  boar 
should  never  be  approached  at  a  walk.  There 
must  be  sufficient  way  on  to  enable  the  rider  to 
get  out  of  the  way,  or  dash  past,  after  delivering 
his  spear-thrust.  I  have  occasionally  jumped 
over  a  boar  in  a  scrimmage,  for  a  horse  will  act 
and  even  fight  on  his  own  account,  but  a  rider 
should  always  have  his  horse  in  movement  when 
attacking.  I  once  saw  a  gentleman  very  severely 
injured,  and  only  narrowly  escape  being  cut  in 
the  faBmoral  artery,  by  a  boar  which  he  tried  to 
spear  while  his  horse  was  standing  still.  He 
overbalanced  himself  and  fell  right  in  front. 
Had  he  been  alone,  it  would  have  gone  hard  with 
him,  but  the  boar  was  soon  attacked  by  others, 
and  he  escaped  with  two  or  three  nasty  gashes. 

I  never  thought  the  hunting  in  Upper  Scinde 
equal  to  that  in  the  other  districts  I  have  men- 
tioned as  being  within  the  sphere  of  my  personal 
experiences.  It  was  all  jungle  hunting,  with  a 
scurry  from  jungle  to  jungle,  no  hills  and  fenc- 
ing, very  little  variety,  except  at  the  time  of  the 
inundation,  when  the  canals  and  watercourses 
were  full  and  large  tracts  submerged.  A  little 


314  PIGS  CAPITAL  SWIMMERS. 

swimming  had  then  to  be  done  occasionally,  and 
I  recall  an  instance  when  one  rider  would  have 
been  drowned,  had  not  another  happened  to  be 
close,  and  came  to  his  assistance.  But  it  was  in 
the  very  hottest  time  of  the  year  when  the  Indus 
thus  overflowed,  and  that  in  Scinde  means  over 
one  hundred  degrees  in  the  shade,  and  we  hunted 
sometimes  in  the  very  lightest  of  clothing,  in 
paijamas  and  shirts  only  when  expecting  a 
thorough  ducking.  Kutty  swam  like  a  fish,  and 
I  was  well  able  to  take  care  of  myself  in  water, 
so  that  it  was  good  fun  for  us ;  but  I  did  not 
wonder  at  non-swimmers  rather  objecting  to  this 
form  of  hunting.  Pig  are  capital  swimmers  ;  I 
never  heard  of  one  cutting  his  throat  with  his 
feet  in  those  watery  districts,  as  they  are  popu- 
larly supposed  to  do  when  swimming.  They 
take  most  kindly  to  water.  On  the  coast  of  the 
Gulf  of  Cutch,  between  Anjar  and  Mandavie,  they 
resort  to  the  mangrove  bushes  which  at  one  part 
fringe  the  sea,  and,  on  high  tides,  are  said  to  cling 
to  the  bushes  when  more  or  less  submerged.  I 
killed  a  good  few  pig  inland  in  that  part,  and,  if 
I  remember  right,  their  feet  showed  signs  of  their 


IN  GUZEKAT  AND  RAJPOOTANA.       315 

being  frequently  in  water,  and  the  puggees  could 
tell  this  from  the  track.* 

In  Guzerat  and  Rajpootana,  though  driving 
pig  from  jungles  is,  of  course,  the  principal  form 
of  the  sport,  there  is  at  times  a  good  deal  of 
fencing,  especially  where  cover  is  to  be  found  in 
the  neighbourhood  of  the  cultivation  about  vil- 
lages. The  last  pig  I  ever  killed  was  in  Rajpoo- 
tana, off  Lottery.  I  secured  the  first  spear  on 
this  occasion  from  a  fair  field,  almost  entirely 
owing  to  his  jumping  power  and  my  light  weight, 
which  enabled  him  to  clear  a  prickly-pear  hedge 
on  the  further  side  of  which  the  boar  had  broken. 
It  was  a  hedge  which  would  have  formed  no  con- 
temptible jump  even  for  a  good  English  hunter, 

*  In  Scinde  there  existed  a  race  of  very  savage  dogs,  which  we 
sometimes  used  in  driving  pig  in  the  inundations,  and  very  fiercely 
they  would  fight.  Many  were  killed  on  one  occasion  by  an  old  boar, 
who  had  taken  up  his  residence  in  an  enclosed  field,  and  was 
attacked  on  foot.  I  remember  on  one  occasion  when  riding  by  night 
after  a  day's  snipe -shooting,  so  as  to  be  back  in  time  for  morning 
parade,  being  attacked  by  several  on  the  road  between  Sukkur  and 
Shikarpore.  My  only  weapon  was  a  hunting-crop  with  a  heavy 
brass  hammer  at  the  end,  and  I  had  some  difficulty  in  beating  them 
off.  One  nearly  pulled  my  pony  down  by  seizing  his  tail.  They 
probably  belonged  to  some  wandering  Brinjarees  encamped  near  at 
hand. 


316  MY  LAST  BOAR. 

and  prickly-pear  is  a  thing,  if  possible,  to  be 
avoided. 

It  was  a  large  boar,  with  a  splendid  pair  of 
very  beautifully-shaped  tushes,  nearly  nine  inches 
long,  but  not  thick.  I  had  the  running  mostly  to 
myself,  but  finding  I  was  being  overhauled  when 
the  boar  was  galloping  down  a  stiff  hedge  on  my 
bridle  hand,  and  finding  I  could  not  push  him 
from  it,  I  was  obliged  to  range  up  on  his  off-side. 
He  slightly  turned  on  me  to  charge,  and  I 
speared  over  my  bridle-hand  and  smashed  my 
spear  in  his  shoulder.  I  was  none  too  soon  in 

securing  first  spear,  for  J B ,  a  cavalry 

officer,  an  excellent  rider,  a  very  good  fellow  and 
old  schoolfellow  of  my  own,  was  close  up.  He 
got  a  fair  dig  at  the  boar,  and  finished  him  before 
any  of  the  others  could  take  part  in  the  affair. 

It  is  often  objected  that  Arabs  are  such  poor 
fencers.  Usually  nullah -jumping,  in  and  out 
work,  sure-footedness  over  stony  ground,  and 
scrambling  generally  are  accomplishments  in  the 
Indian  hunter  more  in  demand  than  fencing,  from 
the  nature  of  the  country  in  which  the  sport  is 
pursued.  But  the  latter  is  at  times  very  neces- 
sary, and  most  Arabs  can  be  taught  to  become 


MY  HORSE  TALISMAN.  317 

fairly  good  if,  as  old  Dick  Christian  is  alleged  to 
have  said,  4  the  rider  throws  his  heart  over.' 

Arabs,  however,  are  so  frequently  overweighted 
and  so  little  practised  at  jumping,  that  no  wonder 
they  often  fail  in  this  respect.  I  had  once  a  very 
high-caste  Arab,  named  Talisman.  He  was  a 
welter  racer,  and  had  done  well  in  both  Poona 
and  Bombay.  I  expected  great  things  from  him 
in  the  hunting-field,  for  I  found  him  to  be  a 
splendid  jumper.  I  put  him  into  training  for 
welter  and  hunter  stakes  at  the  race-meeting  held 
annually  at  Ahmedabad,  where  there  is  very  good 
racing.  Some  of  the  best  horses  in  the  Presi- 
dency often  competed  there,  for  several  stables 
sent  their  strings  there  for  the  monsoon  months, 
when  the  dreaded  '  Barsautee ' — a  disease,  I  be- 
lieve, peculiar  to  Bombay  and  the  western  sea- 
coast — is  rife. 

I  used  to  sport  silk  in  those  days  at  this  and 

other  meetings,  and  T H and  myself,  in 

the  monsoon  months  of  the  year  which  saw  the 
death  of  our  first  tiger,  had  two  or  three  horses 
in  training. 

Talisman,  however,  went  lame.  It  was  long 
before  we  could  make  out  what  was  the  matter, 


318  FOX-HUNTING  AND  PIG-STICKING. 

and  accordingly  submitted  him  to  the  inspection 

of  General  S ,  who  kept  a  large  racing-stable 

and  that  year  won  the  '  Dealer's  Plate/  the  prin- 
cipal race  in  Bombay.  After  several  inspections, 
he  and  his  professional  jockey  attributed  it  to 
contracted  hoof.  I  laid  him  up,  and  eventually 
parted  with  him  in  Bombay  on  being  ordered  to 
Persia  in  that  campaign.  I  think  I  lost  in  him 
the  best  hunter  I  ever  rode,  and  about  the  best 
fencer,  and  far  too  good  for  the  miserable 
esplanade  and  band-stand  work  which  I  fear  was 
likely  to  be  his  lot  in  future.  He  was  a  remark- 
ably handsome  horse,  and  full  of  quality,  and  had 
stayed  well  in  the  races  in  which  he  had  been 
engaged.  However,  I  must  not  be  tempted  to 
wander  from  the  hunting-field  to  the  turf,  but 
stick  to  my  theme  of  hog-hunting. 

It  has  been  compared  with  fox-hunting,  but  to 
my  mind  there  is  little  material  on  which  to  form 
any  comparison.  They  are  both  pursued  on 
horseback,  and  there  all  similarity  ceases.  The 
two  sports  are  as  different  as  the  country  in  which 
they  are  respectively  pursued,  and  do  not  in  them- 
selves contain  any  element  common  to  both,  except 
horsemanship.  Some  degree  of  efficiency  in  that 


TROPHIES  OF  FOX  AND  PIG.  319 

respect  is,  of  course,  a  sine  qua  non  to  ensure 
success.  This  and  the  possession  of  a  good  horse, 
desirable  in  both,  is,  however,  supplemented  by 
greater  personal  effort  in  the  case  of  hog-hunting. 
So  much  more  depends  on  the  individual,  seeing 
that  he  has  himself  to  overtake  the  pig,  make  use 
of  a  weapon  requiring  practice  to  use  well,  and 
encounter  a  savage  foe,  whose  high  courage  and 
powerful  means  of  attack  add  some  little  element 
of  danger,  requiring  coolness  and  skill  to  avoid, 
to  spice  the  sport.  And  again,  per  contra,  the 
hog-hunter  loses  the  deep  interest  attaching  to  the 
working  of  hounds,  the  more  finished  horseman- 
ship, and  the  other  attractions  of  cross-country 
riding.  No!  there  is  no  more  comparison  than 
there  is  between  the  respective  trophies.  'The 
tush  '  and  c  the  brush  '  adorn  the  opposite  extremi- 
ties respectively  of  the  animals  hunted,  and 
certainly  present  no  similarity. 

There  are  other  forms  of  pig-sticking,  or  rather 
a  new  element  has  been  introduced  since  my  day, 
in  some  parts,  of  which  I  have  no  personal  ex- 
perience. A  cup  is  given  by  the  Hunt  to  the 
successful  rider  who  takes  most  first-spears.  Two 
only  are  started  after  a  pig,  lots  being  drawn 


320  SALAAM. 

to  arrange  the  various  competitors  in  pairs,  and 
the  whole  affair  run  off  something  like  what  it  is 
at  a  coursing  meeting. 

Pig  must  be  very  plentiful  to  ensure  success, 
for  I  presume  boars  only  are  selected,  and  the 
ground  favourable  for  fair  contests.  No  doubt 
such  a  form  of  the  sport  has  its  merits,  and  will 
commend  itself  to  many,  but  it  was  hardly  suited 
to  most  of  the  districts  in  which  I  hunted,  and 
was  not  that  in  which  I  passed  rny  noviciate.  I 
rather  think  it  was  in  vogue  in  my  day  in  Lower 
Bengal,  and  thence  has  probably  travelled  else- 
where to  hunting-grounds  where  it  is  practicable 
and  the  elements  congenial. 

Many  a  hunt  occurs  ta  me  illustrative  of  some 
phase  of  this  grand  sport,  but  I  think  I  have  said 
enough  to  indicate  to  the  uninitiated  its  general 
bearings,  and  so,  with  lowered  spear,  I  make  my 
salaam. 


THE  END. 


London:  Printed  by  Duncan  Macdonald,  Blenheim  House. 


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